In the Xia dynasty of ancient China, a secret club was established for gay men to meet and hopefully find a lifelong lover: the Peng Society for Gentlemen. A man could provide a self-portrait, some personal information, and a mailing address (along with a subscription fee) to be listed in The Pengornisseur, a discreet monthly publication mailed to subscribers via pigeon post.
Wu Xingzi is a gay government official without money, status, or hope. Thoroughly miserable, he decides to end his life on his 40th birthday, but he has one last goal: to lose his virginity. He puts his life savings toward a subscription to the Peng Society for Gentlemen in the hope that it will direct him into the arms of another man before he dies. But paying for admittance to this special club gives Wu Xingzi more than he bargained for!