一个思念妈妈，却不知道妈妈已经去世的小男孩，一个即将结束35年职业生涯的911接线警察。这两个看似毫无关系的两个人，却因为小男孩深夜一通报案电话，开启了一段温馨感人的故事。

1930年代，自幼在美国生活与学习的大提琴家徐少东（黄磊）返回祖国准备与素未蒙面但一直有书信往来的未婚妻英儿（刘若英）成亲。可是在随英儿在自家戏院看过昆曲《夜奔》并结识其主演林冲（尹昭德）后，徐少东的感情天平开始更多地倾斜到林冲身上，但随后有关他与林冲的流言蜚语传出，顶不住世俗压力的他最终告别英儿回到美国。二战后，英儿赴美找到徐少东，二人谈起林冲为找徐少东的悲惨经历时，徐少东明白到他的内心会一直为英儿和林冲留有位置。

Born in Dongduchon, Chil-su is talented in art. While waiting for a wedding invitation from his sister in America, Chil-su quits his job painting theater signs which is his livelihood. He becomes Man-su's assistant. Man-su is in the army serving his military duty. He suffers under the dark shadow of his father. Chil-su gets dumped by Ji-na, a college student, and he loses all contacts with his sister. Understandably, Chil-su feels a little shaken. On the other hand, Man-su is unable to find stability. One night after they finished a large billboard, the two rave around the tower goofing around. However, the police are deployed when they misunderstand and think that they are trying to kill themselves. Through their misunderstanding, Man-su ultimately falls and injures himself while Chul-su is led away by the police.

《青春兒女》的題材輕鬆感人，充分表現出年輕一代生活的愉快。在人生的歷程上，年輕人朝氣蓬勃，正像燦爛可愛的春天。《青春兒女》的編織正予人以一份歡悅，讓觀眾親切地重溫年輕時期的生活，把生命的熱力燃燒起來。活躍在《青春兒女》中的人們是可愛的，瞧吧：葛蘭、林翠、陳厚、喬宏這些影星們，有歌有舞、有笑有玩，從課室鬧到宿舍，從宿舍鬧到郊外，每一個生活片段，就等於一闋青春進行曲中的音符，引人走向生命溫暖的一面，構成了一幅人人喜愛的學府風光浮世繪。