Lady Willow was a beautiful courtesan during the Tang dynasty. A rich man, Li, bought out her contract and brought her home as his concubine. In the Li household lived a young scholar, Han Yi. Lady Willow and Han Yi fell in love. When Li learned of their affair, in an act of benevolent generosity, he gave Lady Willow to Han Yi.

Lady Willow saw great potential in Han Yi. She encouraged him to study for the imperial examinations. He came in the top three, and was awarded a high government post. Lady Willow felt she was not worthy to be his wife, because of her previous profession. She insisted he return to his ancestral village and find a more suitable girl from a good family. Han Yi objected, for he was really in love with Lady Willow, but she was adamant. Reluctantly, he set off on his quest.

While he was gone, the An Lu Shan rebellion broke out. Lady Willow ran out of money and was forced to live in a convent as a nun. After peace was restored, Han Yi contacted her, reaffirming his love for her. She relented, and consented to be his wife. But before they could meet again, a barbarian general, who had helped restore peace and was now in the emperor's favor, heard of Lady Willow's beauty, and kidnapped her. He locked her in his castle and forced her to become his concubine. When Han Yi heard this, he was distraught with worry. A great warrior, Xu Jun, was much moved by their love and devotion to each other. He stormed the castle, rescued Lady Willow, and restored her to Han Yi.