wˌɛn hiː lˈɜːnz ðæt hɪz sˈʌn hˈæzbiːn dˌaɪəɡnˈoʊzd æz hˌævɪŋ lˈɪvɚ kˈænsɚ, hiː dᵻsˈaɪdz tə tɹˈævəl tə jˈʌnən pɹˈɑːvɪns ɪn tʃˈaɪnə ɪn hɪz sˈʌnz plˈeɪs tə fˈɪlm ɹˈaɪdɪŋ ɐlˈoʊn fɔːɹ θˈaʊzəndz ʌv mˈaɪlz, ɐ tɹɐdˈɪʃənəl ˈaɪɾəm ɪnðə lˈoʊkəl njˈuːoʊ ˈɑːpɚɹə tʃˈaɪniːzlˌɛɾɚ tʃˈaɪniːzlˌɛɾɚ, ʌvwˈɪtʃ hɪz sˈʌn ɪz ɐ lˈiːdɪŋ skˈɑːlɚ.
When he learns that his son has been diagnosed as having liver cancer, he decides to travel to Yunnan province in  China in his son's place to film Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles, a traditional item in the local nuo opera (傩戏), of which his son is a leading scholar.