The play is the story of a young prostitute, Shen Te, as she struggles to lead a life that is "good" according to the terms of the morality taught by the gods. She is forced to invent an alter ego to protect herself: a male cousin named Shui Ta, who becomes a cold and stern protector of Shen Te's interests that saves her from her greedy neighbours. 

All the masquerade combined with the morality issues and the traditional and modern Chinese culture led me to the idea of a peripatetic old Chinese circus. At the background is the backstage of the circus where the performers are going to gamble, drink, smoke and use drugs. It's the place where the masks fall and the glamours illusions confront the hard reality. The opium flowers on stage represent the heroin, an essential element of the play.