A rich Chinese clan leader, Chen Zuoqian, takes as his fourth wife 19-year-old Songlian, who arrives at his house and is initiated into the rituals of the ancient family. The wife whom the master wishes to spend the night with has the red lanterns in her courtyard lit; in return she gets a foot massage and can choose the day's menus. Songlian's first night with her husband is punctuated by burst of singing and moaning from his third wife, Meishan. The next day, she meets the master's now elderly first wife, Yuru, and her adult son, Feipu, and his second wife, Zhuoyan, who has a daughter. She also discovers her bad-tempered maid, Yan'er, harbours dreams of becoming a wife herself, and that former opera singer Meishan is having an illicit affair with the doctor Gao. When Feipu's flute goes missing, Yan'er is suspected; when Songlian searches the maid's apartments, she finds it bedecked with red lanterns and also finds a doll inscribed with her name, which Yan'er has been using to put a curse on her. Winter arrives, and Songlian attempts to further her standing among the wives by pretending to be pregnant, but her pretence is exposed by Yan'er and Songlian is disgraced. She sets about exacting her revenge.