三十五岁的男教师林明娶了十七岁的女学生珍珍。林在学校教书，不想娇妻寂寞，着她一同回校上课，两人隐藏夫妻秘密，乌龙百出，珍发觉林常被女生包围，而林又发现珍常被男老师追求……

Shipwreck survivors are found on Beiru Island (Infanto tô), which was previously used for atomic tests. The interior is amazingly free of radiation effects, and they believe that they were protected by a special juice that was given to them by the island's residents. A joint expedition of Rolisican and Japanese scientists explores Beiru and discovers many curious things, including two women only one foot (30 centimeters) high. Unscrupulous expedition leader Clark Nelson abducts the women and puts them in a vaudeville show. But their sweet singing contains a telepathic cry for help to Mothra, a gigantic moth that is worshiped as a deity by the island people. The giant monster heeds the call of the women and heads to Tokyo, wreaking destruction in its path.

台北长春路有一家小米粉店，老板娘（郑裕玲 饰）来自广西桂林，做的米粉是家传手艺，当年在桂林也远近闻名。老板娘少时也是美人，还嫁给军官当过几年太太，但战争中丈夫失踪，她也跟着军眷撤到台湾，开这家“荣记米粉”赖以生存。米粉店吃包饭的常客就那么几位，都是同乡：一个是总打破碗的 李老头，当年在柳州人称“李半城”，拥有半个城的店面，如今被儿子抛弃在这儿，连饭钱都付不起，七十岁生日那天一根绳子把自己吊死；一个是当过荣县县长的秦癫子（顾宝明 饰），娶过好几房太太，如今却在菜市场调戏妇女，被关进警察局，后在风雨夜醉死在水沟；让老板娘最器重的是教书的卢先生（林建华 饰），还想把自己侄女嫁给他，但他痴心等待桂林订过婚的罗小姐（周迅 饰），却不想被骗了所有积蓄，最终自暴自弃，和荡妇阿春（郁芳 饰）同居，又孤独死掉。一间小小米粉店，见证多少伤感的人事变迁……本片根据白先勇小说《花桥荣记》改编。

折耳与美短，理想与现实，亲情的羁绊比海更深。