The Last Steep Ascent

Leading a secluded life on a remote mountain with his wife KOO SUN-YUET, MIU TIN has taken fifty years to hand carve a few-thousand-step stair-path. Named by their children as the "Flight of Love", it is for his wife's convenience to travel up and down the mountain. Flashback: As a medicinal plant farmer in Two Oxen village, Canton, MIU TIN grew up with CHENG KIU, KWAN KWONG-TAT and LIU SAM-KAN, sharing a fraternity relationship with each other. Ever since his childhood, MIU TIN had already followed his father GRANDPA MIU to gather medicinal herbs on the mountains, getting very familiar with the nature of the species. So in 1934, MIU TIN and the villagers have coordinated their efforts, cultivating valuable medicinal herbs. All of the sudden, the village chief, bringing along his only daughter LAI HO, proposes marriage to MIU TIN. Having learned about LAI HO's real love affection to the poor teacher LAU KA-MING, MIU TIN comes up with a solution. With the intention to stay in mourning for his late parents in the village, MIU TIN entrusts CHENG KIU in transporting and selling the medicinal herbs in the town. However, having learned from the will of his late father that it is not necessary for him to continue bereaving; he then leads all male villagers to deliver the herbs to Canton for sale. SUN-YUET's son SZE-HANG is not willing to go to school because his classmates made fun of the loss of his two front teeth. So SUN-YUET convinces him that the new teeth will soon grow back should the tooth gap be touched by a bride, which is similar to her own experience when she was a bride-to-be. At that time, a boy had stopped her and asked her to touch the gap between his lost teeth.

MEI-KUEN asks SUN-YUET to take over the position of matriarch, but is turned down due to her focus on raising the children. Experiencing physical discomfort, MEI KUEN suspects that she is near death. In order to take shelter from the rain, MIU TIN and the others move the medicinal herbs into an abandoned temple. Later he heads to town with CHENG KIU, KWONG-TAT and SAM-KAN, seeking potential buyers, while the others stay to safeguard the goods. Returning from Foshan, HO SAI-CHEUNG, the eldest son of MEI-KUEN, immediately goes to Ho Ching Tong Pharmacy, which he owns. Meanwhile, MIU TIN and others attempt to sell their medicinal herbs to Ho Ching Tong Pharmacy, but to no avail since KWONG-TAT discovers the rip-off of the Pharmacy manager, HO KWAN-YIU. Upon his return to home, SAI-CHEUNG seems to be absent-minded while SUN-YUET relays some household errands to him. After several vain attempts to sell the medicinal herbs, MIU TIN finally bites the bullet to approach Ho Ching Tong Pharmacy. Unexpectedly he is wantonly insulted by the assistant manger, KWAN-YIU's son SAI-HO. Feeling that he cannot take it anymore, CHENG KIU beats up SAI-HO.

Having taken CHENG KIU under custody for attacking SAI-HO, the captain of the Police Bureau not only demands bail but also requests a surety before releasing him. SAI-CHEUNG mentions what happened in the Ho Ching Tong Pharmacy to his younger brother SAI-LEUNG. While stating that KWAN-YIU has gone too far, he also reveals the reason why he is the thorn in KWAN-YIU's eyes. Running away from home, SZE-HANG accidentally trips and breaks his legs, fortunately, he is then carried home by MIU TIN. Having helped an old man YEUNG GOR set up his peanut stall, MIU TIN makes him as their surety afterwards. In view of SAI-HO’s deteriorated injuries, CHENG KIU is again taken under the police custody. With the discovery of BOSS CHU handing over the rake-off to KWAN-YIU, MIU TIN successfully threatens KWAN-YIU in exchange of CHENG KIU's acquittal. However in response to SAI-CHEUNG's attempt of disclosure, KWAN-YIU easily gets away with the alleged scandals of receiving the rake-off as well as ripping off sellers. Counter arguing that he felt disrespected, he asks for ten days' leave, walking off in a huff. By the time they return to the abandoned temple, MIU TIN and CHENG KIU discover that their medicinal herbs are infested with mold.

In order to make a living, MIU TIN and others perform hard labour at the dock. SAI-CHEUNG offers to purchase the medicinal herbs while meeting up with MIU TIN, who informs him about the details. He then proposes paying him three thousand as soon as MIU TIN signs a bill in acknowledgement of the debt. Bumping into SAI-CHEUNG while he is going out with his wife and children, MIU TIN recognizes that SUN-YUET is the bride who touched his tooth gap. Upon his return to Two Oxen village, MIU TIN distributes the interest profits to the villagers. Later he and CHENG KIU find out a young lady is paying tribute at her parents' tomb. It turns out her name is TIN OI-TAI, whose father was cheated and transported to San Francisco. After her parents have passed away, she escorts their cremated remains back to her hometown. Accompanying CHENG KIU to pay tribute to his late wife, MIU TIN runs into OI-TAI, who is assessing the gravesite with CHUNG KAM. He even asks for a price reduction of the gravesite for her. The two then board the train together as MIU TIN is going to town, while OI-TAI is heading back to Foshan. Having got out of the train, OI-TAI sees SAI-CHEUNG, who is waiting for her and gives her a pearl necklace.

SAI-CHEUNG has successfully convinced OI-TAI to move to Canton. While PO-LAW and SAI-MAN seek SUN-YUET’s assistance in persuading MEI-KUEN, MEI-KUEN firmly stands her ground on disapproving PO-LAW from taking her daughter away, claiming that PO-LAW has already promised to stay at HO’s family after marrying SAI-MAN. In the end, upon SUN-YUET’s successful persuasion, unexpectedly, PO-LAW receives a telegraph from his father in Malaysia, urging him to bring back cash so as to save his rubber plantation. Working as a handy man in the Chai-man Pharmacy, MIU TIN is held in high regard by the owner, CHAI-MAN, who even reserves the position of the manager for him. SAI-CHEUNG goes sight-seeing with OI-TAI in the Mount Xiqiao on Sunday. However, on their way back, they get caught up by SUN-YUET and their children on the heels of their vehicle breakdown. Being stormed with his mother's questions the following morning, SAI-CHEUNG makes up something, managing to hoodwink MEI-KUEN and SUN-YUET into believing him. The night before SAI-MAN's wedding, MEI-KUEN asks SUN-YUET to perform the traditional combing rite. Having learned the truth from the daughter of their driver WING, SUN-YUET finally discovers that SAI-CHEUN was lying.

Suspicious that her husband is cheating on her, SUN-YUET forgot to bring SZE-HANG to see SAI-MAN on her wedding day, so SZE-HANG runs alone after her. Fortunately with the help from MIU TIN, he gets his tooth gap touched. Not only intending to send MAN-WAH to be in charge of the account department in Foshan, SAI-CHEUNG also decides to assign SAI-HO as the manager there, which is fiercely opposed by KWAN-YIU. Worrying that SAI-CHEUNG might suffer a relapse, OI-TAI makes an appointment for him, asking him to have a body check in the clinic. SUN-YUET discovers where OI-TAI lives, so MEI-KUEN goes with her to OI-TAI's residence, forcing her to pack up and leave Canton as soon as possible. When purchasing musk in the Ho Ching Tong Pharmacy, CHAI-MAN encounters obstacles raised by KWAN-YIU. By the time SAI-CHEUNG addresses his grievance, he reveals his discovery of MIU TIN's talent, feeling positive that they will supersede Ho Ching Tong Pharmacy in the future. Knowing that SAI-CHEUNG has passed out due to sudden chest pain, OI-TAI dashes to the hospital, where she thoroughly explains to SUN-YUET her relationship with SAI-CHEUNG.