The battle for survival, sacrifice, and the beauty of life in a brilliant, moving myth from the ends of the world and time

A terrible drought forces the inhabitants of a remote mountain village to flee - everyone except an old man and a blind dog, who cannot make the exhausting journey to the mountains in search of food and water. The old man guards a single cornstalk that has sprouted in the barren land. Devoted to it and the hope it gives him, he fights against defeat every day, winning a victory against death every day.

A classic best-seller, honored with the prestigious Chinese Lu Xun Literary Award