The Goddess

Chinese drama directed by Yonggang Wu and starring Lingyu Ruan. In 1930s Shanghai a young woman (Ruan) has little choice but to resort to prostitution in order to feed herself and her young son. In her attempts to avoid punishment by the authorities she finds herself being manipulated by a mobster who positions himself as her pimp, using the money to fund his gambling.

Her problems don't stop there however, as her son's school receives several letters from parents outraged about the son of a prostitute attending the same school as their children and demanding he be expelled. The dean tries his best to support the boy and his mother, but the pressures of society may prove too much for them.