This film's three parts focus on three major events of 2008 in China: the March uprisings, the May earthquake, and the August Olympics. In order to allow these events to unfold on their own terms, Sichuan Triptych focuses on everyday life in three locations of Sichuan Province: Tagong, Qingchuan, and Renshou. In Tagong, two young Tibetan girls play in the grasslands as the shouts of military drills reverberate through the town. In Qingchuan, three women burn paper money and light fireworks to mourn their lost loved ones on the 49th day after the earthquake. In Renshou, a migrant worker working on the demolition of a disaster area returns home during the Olympics to spray his rice fields. Through these three simple vignettes, Sichuan Triptych asks the viewer to consider the complex relationship between national events and everyday life.