影片以“文革”为背景，展示了一批知青在农场的生活片断。

西南某镇一下棋高手，他用钉子把“将”钉死在棋盘上，声称谁能在对弈时让他拔钉挪将，他就服输了，自幼精通棋艺的王一生在同伴的鼓励下，与之对弈，号称“钉子李”的棋王招架不住，要求平手言和，王一生答应和局，但再也不下棋了。

The story happens in the period of Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) and shows the lives of educated youths (urban school leavers during the 1966~1976 “cultural revolution”, who were sent to work and live in the countryside and mountainous areas) in the farms.

In a town of the southwest, there is a master chess player, who nails the “king”, a chess piece, on the chessboard, claiming that if someone can let him pull out the nail and move the “king” when playing chess, he will admit that he is a loser. Wang yisheng is proficient at chess since his childhood. Encouraged by his friends, he challenges “Nail Li” to play chess with him. Unable to defeat him, Li asks for an even play. And Wang Yisheng agrees a draw in chess, but never plays chess again.