Plot Summary:Jalainur, a name from the beautiful Lake Hulun(aka Dalai nuur in Mongolian), is one of the last places in the world where steam trains are still running. It is also where the story begins. Master Chu is retiring from the open-cut coal mine where he has been working for more than 30 years as a train technician. Somehow he decides to retire one month earlier. His apprentice, Zhi-Zhong, whom he shares a father-son-like relationship with, insists on seeing him off, accompanying him along the way to his daughter's place, somewhere miles away on the border between China and Russia.
朱老头是扎赉诺尔露天煤矿的蒸汽火车司机,他的徒弟李治中是信号员。他们一起工作了多年,形影不离,无论是在工作中,还是生活上。朱老头在矿上工作了30年,已经面临退休了。 一天,治中发现开火车的司机不是朱老头,原来朱老头决定提前离开煤矿,去找在中俄边境工作和生活的女儿和女婿。治中也上了路,开始跟随朱老头。朱老头几番劝说治中回去,但在情感上他不肯定是否真的要赶走治中。治中一路跟随着朱老头,在朱老头的女儿、女婿出现的那一刻,治中决定离开了。治中一路在中俄边境溜达着,那天他没有赶上回程的火车。