影片改编自茅盾文学奖得主王旭烽系列小说《爱情西湖》，故事以西湖十景之一的“柳浪闻莺”为背景，主要讲述了上世纪90年代江南越剧团两个姑娘与一个画家间的情感纠葛。极具天赋的女小生垂髫（汪飏 饰），与花旦银心（阚昕 饰）自幼相识，一起在戏班子长大，两人性格迥然不同，但情同姐妹。垂髫至情至性，为舞台而活；银心看似单纯天真，实则是个知进退、会钻营的女孩。她俩本是彼此眼中最重要的那个人，可世事无常、种种分歧纷沓而至，特别是杭州画家工欲善（郑云龙 饰）的出现，让相依为命的两个女孩变得相爱相杀。时代变迁，越剧由盛转衰，垂髫与银心的命运与越剧一同沉浮。曲终人散之时，放眼世间，她最放不下的那个人，还是她。

Based on the novel, “Love by the West Lake” by Wang Xufeng, “The Chanting Willows” is set against the backdrop of the Orioles in the Willows Garden, by Hangzhou’s West Lake, and tells of the emotional entanglement between a fan painter and two female Yue opera performers, Chuitiao and Yinxin. The two girls have performed together since they were children and are like sisters. Chuitiao is true to her nature and lives for the opera, whereas Yinxin appears naive, but knows how to work her way up by currying favour with the right people.

​The two are inseparable until the fan painter, Gong Yushan arrives on the scene. As the popularity of Yue Opera wanes, Chui Tiao and Yinxin’s relationship also deteriorates. It is only towards the end, when they are about to part, that they realise that the person they need the most is each other.