Cities of Last Things pinpoints three extraordinary nights in the life of a common man, as told with reverse chronology. In the near future, a winter night, ZHANG Dong-ling (60s), fueled by the anger he has repressed over the years, takes revenge on a high-ranking ocer who has made his life a torment one particular night thirty years ago. In present, a summer night, ZHANG Dong-ling a young cop accidentally witnesses his wife having sex with his senior police ocer. After a confrontation he chose to repress his anger to keep his family together for the sake of their baby daughter. In the past, a spring night, Lady WANG is ambushed by police. She is handcued on the bench at the police station beside a handcued 18-year-old ZHANG Dong-ling. Through a casual chat, they both realize they share a much larger past then they ever imagined.