在改革浪潮的冲击下，耍猴艺人沙高一家和青年振平在街头巷尾出没，为了生计不断地表演，同时也憧憬着能够发家致富。为了吸引更多观众，他们冒险使用了人猴搏击的招数，然而却不幸遭到了悲剧的结局。(Having been) caught in the tide of reform, the monkey show family led by Shaga and the young man Zhenping wandered the streets in search of a livelihood and a chance to become rich. To draw a bigger audience, they came up with the dangerous act of human-monkey combat, only to tragically pay the price for their actions.