A Beautiful life tells the story of Li Peiru, a greedy and shallow woman who is transformed by love. Peiru moves to from Beijing to Hong Kong to make a living where she meets Fang Zhengdong, a local policeman, by chance at a karaoke bar. Zhengdong takes care of his younger brother, wonderful artist who has a hard time communicating. Li Peiru eventually takes advantage of Fang Zhengdong's kindness, running off with a large sum of his money. She only realizes what he truly means to her when he is nowhere to be found because he moved away after finding out about his deteriorating health.