碧海狂僧

伍氏夫婦與好友葉氏指腹為婚，惜葉氏夫婦早逝，遺下一女飄紅由伍氏撫養。伍氏十五年後誕下一子小鵬，惜其出生後一直病弱，更曾於一歲時病危。伍夫人望飄紅能依約下嫁沖喜，她無奈答應與小鵬拜堂，十八年後始正式結婚。轉眼十八年過去，小鵬與芳鄰柳秋嬋兩情相悅，且一向視飄紅為姊。一日秋嬋為償父債被迫下嫁凌天雁，小鵬欲替愛人還債，飄紅不允。糾纏間秋嬋被凌府家丁搶走，小鵬追往營救卻遭伏擊重傷。為贖回秋嬋及小鵬，飄紅被迫獻身凌天雁。小鵬見飄紅一夜未歸，反對她多番奚落，飄紅悲極暈倒。鵬父責備兒子，更指出他與飄紅的夫妻關係。小鵬打算與秋嬋遠走高飛，然秋嬋得知飄紅之委屈，唯有假裝與天雁訂情圖使小鵬死心。小鵬深受刺激下欲削髮為僧，時飄紅感懷身世蹈海自盡。鵬父趕至道出前因後果，飄紅臨終前囑小鵬與秋嬋和好，小鵬追悔不已，全劇結束。

The Mad Monk by the Sea

Wu and his wife make a prenatal betrothal with their friend, Ye. Unfortunately, Ye and his wife die young, leaving their daughter, Piaohong, to be brought up by the Wus. Fifteen years later, Wu’s wife gives birth to a son called Xiaopeng. The boy is often sick, and becomes critically ill at the age of one. Wu’s wife expectsPiaohong to marry her son to hasten his recovery, as superstition demands. The girl reluctantly agrees, and the wedding is scheduled to be held eighteen years later.

Eighteen years hence, Xiaopeng falls in love with his neighbor Liu, having always regarded Piaohong as his sister. One day, to pay her father’s debt, Liu is made to marry Ling Tianyan. Xiaopeng offers to pay the debt for her, but is stopped by Piaohong. As Liu is taken away by Ling‘s servants, Xiaopeng rushes to her rescue, only to be overwhelmed and seriously wounded. To ransom Liu and Xiaopeng, Piaohong offers herself to Ling. Adding insult to injury, Xiaopeng scorns Piaohong for having spent the night away from home. His father reprimands him and points out that they should be man and wife.

Xiaopeng intends to run away with Liu. However, knowing of Piaohong’s misfortunes, Liu makes a false promise to marry Ling to make Xiaopeng give up. Deeply hurt by this, Xiaopeng decides to become a monk.Piaohong, meanwhile, is so saddened by her situation that she tries to drown herself in the sea.Xiaopeng’s father arrives and explains everything. Before she dies, Piaohong asks Xiaopeng to make up with Liu, fillingXiaopeng with regret.