Minli is a young girl, the only daughter of her mother, Ma, and father, Ba. Together, they live in a small stick hut in a bleak, dry farming village at the intersection of the Fruitless Mountain and the Jade River. Nothing grows on the mountain, and the villagers work hard to grow rice in dry fields, soaking the ground with water and becoming mud-covered in the process. The name Minli means “quick thinking,” and Minli’s impulsiveness is a source of stress for her mother. The family’s only wealth is Minli’s: two coins in a bowl with a rabbit painted on it. The family’s low economic status distresses Ma, causing her to sigh frequently at her misfortune. Minli’s father, though weary from work, elevates his mood by telling stories. On this night, he tells “The Story of Fruitless Mountain.”

Once, a prideful dragon mother named Jade Dragon heard the villagers below her mountain complaining about too much rain. To punish them for their ungratefulness, she vowed to never let them see clouds or rain again—only dry, hot sun. Her children—Pearl, Yellow, Long, and Black—felt sorry for the suffering villagers and sacrificed themselves to become four rivers.