在这部西部来的人剧情片中,一位無法解決自己歸屬的漢化泰雅人阿明，回到幼年故鄉，企圖自殺未亡，救了阿明一命的泰雅老人，將阿明安置在河邊雞寮裡，老人的兒子阿將朝思夢想去台北闖天下，老人則堅持留在村中，兩人之間默默地存在著衝突。
染滿都市氣息的雛妓秀美，騙了財主的巨款逃回村子裡想嫁人，而她尋找的終身伴侶，即是幼時親密男友阿將，加速他離鄉的掙扎。
被秀美騙錢的台北財主，遣派兩名道上兄弟追到村子裡來找人，秀美被追得無處可躲，竟然藏到阿明的雞寮來過了一夜。阿將嫉妒秀美與阿明的關係，把阿明趕到沒人住的廢山洞去。阿明在洞中觀察蝙蝠螫居穴中，頓悟生命道理，並從泰雅老人口中得知生父秘密。
In contemporary Taiwan, the aboriginal Ah-ming attempts suicide. When his life is saved by an old miner, Ah-ming is drawn into a journey back to his origins. Meanwhile, the miner's son, Ah-Chuan, finds a fugitive hooker who has returned from the lowlands. But Ah-Chuan only wants to integrate himself into mainstream society, in sharp contrast to the intentions and needs of those around him.
