Li, born in 1961, grows up during the Cultural Revolution with his parents and six brothers in the poor province Shandong. When he is eleven, he is selected for the heavy, strict and ideological ballet academy of Mao's wife Jiang Qing in Beijing. Li turns out to be a great talent and is spotted by Ben Stevenson, the artistic leader of the Houston Ballet. As one of the first exchange students, Li get sthe opportunity to travel to America and leave Mao's communist regime behind. After the first culture shock he embraces his freedom, and refuses to return to China. This results in a dramatic confrontation at the Chinese consulate that makes United States' headlines.