BEFORE THE BRIGHT DAY

From the perspective of a teenager, this story explores the profound impact of the 1996 missile crisis and Taiwan’s first direct presidential election on both society and individual lives.

Chou is placed in the “losers” B-class by his teacher, while the girl he likes, Min, is in the prestigious A-class. Tired of his pale and uneventful youth, Chou sees Button, a small gang leader, as the man he aspires to become.

In 1996, during the Taiwan Strait Crisis, his father’s investments took a hit, and his mother’s stock trading incurred losses. The gloomy atmosphere at home made his younger brother Bin’s piano practice sound especially dispirited.

Falling in with Button’s gang, Chou experiences a series of setbacks: Button leaves for military service, gets framed by his peers, Min emigrates out of fear of war, and their teacher forces Chou to drop out after catching him smoking. What kind of future awaits him?