A bus flips over on the outskirts of the
Gobi Desert on a road that is occupied by countless stray dogs. One of the passengers is former stunt motorcyclist and musician Lang, a local celebrity before going to prison for manslaughter a decade ago. As Lang returns home on parole, he sees that the town is no longer what it used to be. Many residents have left, leaving a large population of stray dogs. Lang's band has disbanded. Lang's father owns a zoo that is out of business, and he suffers from health problems due to alcoholism. Lang's sister is struggling financially elsewhere and has been unable to visit home for a long time. A bounty is placed on a black dog that has been biting people, as part of a larger program to remove stray or unregistered animals in preparation for the
2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and to renovate the town for future business developments. Lang pursues the bounty but returns defeated and bitten. He joins the local dog-capturing team led by Uncle Yao, but develops compassion for the dogs. He gets into conflicts with the team members, but Uncle Yao forgives him every time. The team catches the black dog, and Lang is tasked with transporting him, but strong winds leave them stranded in the wild overnight. He huddles with the dog in the cold and then gets bitten again. He is helped by a travelling circus group coming into town, including Grape, a dancer with whom he becomes close. Lang gets sick and spends time quarantining with the black dog before adopting him from Uncle Yao. Snake farmer, Butcher Hu, harasses Lang several times to seek revenge for his nephew's death ten years ago. Lang's father's health deteriorates, and he is admitted to the hospital, where he asks Lang to
pull the plug. Later, Lang drinks with Grape and hears her complain about life and marriage. As he rides home drunk with his dog, he gets captured by Butcher Hu's gang. He escapes captivity during an
earthquake but is unable to locate the black dog anywhere. When he visits Butcher Hu's snake farm, he finds Butcher Hu bitten by a venomous snake and saves him. Butcher Hu thanks Lang, explains that the dog has run away, and offers to reconcile. Lang eventually finds the black dog in critical condition at a
dog racing venue out of town. Back home, the black dog dies but it is revealed that he has fathered a puppy with another stray dog. The whole town travels to the desert to see
the solar eclipse, while the animals from the zoo are freed and roam the streets of the empty town. Grape is seen leaving on a long-distance bus instead of travelling with the circus. On the night of
the Olympics opening ceremony, Lang shares a final drink with his father in the hospital and pulls the plug. Lang leaves town and rides off into the desert with the puppy. == Cast ==