After the death of his wife, the Chinese master chef Cheng travels from Shanghai to the village of Pohjanjoki in
Finnish Lapland with his son Niu Niu to meet his benefactor Fongtron, who had helped him during a difficult period after his wife's death. When they arrive in Pohjanjoki by bus, they walk to a building consisting of a lunch cafe and a small supermarket and are welcomed by Sirkka, who runs the cafe. Cheng asks her and all the lunch guests if they know a man named Fongtron, but nobody does. Later in the film, it turns out that Fongtron's actual name was Pekka Forsström, a man who had died a year earlier. Sirkka invites them to stay for lunch, consisting of a sausage stew, mashed potatoes and a mix of shredded carrots and shredded cabbage as side salad. Except for variations to how the sausage is prepared, this turns out to be the dish served most days, as Sirkka has very limited cooking skills and has no help in the kitchen. At the end of the day, as there are no hotels in Pohjanjoki, Sirkka finds them a room in a house nearby. The next day, a bus full of Chinese tourists breaks down just outside the cafe, so Sirkka invites them for lunch. However, seeing what's on offer the tourists aren't interested. Cheng intervenes, telling Sirkka that he can give them what they want. He and Sirkka run into the supermarket and buy various ingredients, and he ends up serving the tourists Chinese
noodle soup followed by a sorbet with fruit. They love the food and tell Sirkka that they will come back the next day, and the Chinese tourist guide tells her that he will recommend her cafe for other groups. So Cheng starts planning more dishes and the local lunch guests must change their eating habits or go elsewhere, as the cafe doesn't have the resources to offer a variety of dishes. However, the locals also find Cheng's food tasty. He explains to them that Chinese food can create happiness and wellbeing, and they soon find that it cures them from many ailments, ranging from high blood pressure to menstrual pain. In return, the locals treat Cheng to Finnish experiences, such as fishing by the lake shore,
Finnish sauna and
tango dancing. With Sirkka's help, Cheng's son Niu Niu soon gets over his homesickness for China and makes friends with the local children. Gradually, Cheng and Sirkka fall in love. As Cheng has overstayed his tourist visa, they travel to China to marry so they then can return and run the cafe as a team and ensure continued happiness and wellbeing for the locals. ==Cast==