进士贾雨村（白彪饰）被贬官到扬州，成为巡盐御史林如海的幕客，教其女儿林黛玉（毛舜筠饰）读书。一年后，丧母的黛玉由雨村护送，住进贾家荣国府，雨村因此得到黛玉舅父贾政（郑雷饰）的帮助而复职。 黛玉得外婆贾母疼爱，更与表兄贾宝玉（伍卫国饰）十分亲近，但不久，薛姨妈之女薛宝钗（米雪饰）也住进了荣国府，贾家孙媳王熙凤（吴浣仪饰）竟极力怂恿贾母撮合宝钗与宝玉成亲。其后，宝玉丢失通灵玉，神志陷入昏迷，贾母决定让宝玉成亲冲喜。熙凤却献计掉包，谎称新娘是黛玉，宝玉不虞有诈。成亲之日，黛玉伤心欲绝，最终病逝，宝玉悲愤不已。 不久，贾府陷入彻底衰败的下场，宝玉看破红尘，离开家人和宝钗，出家当和尚。

Jia Yucun, a scholar, is exiled to Yangzhou and becomes a guest of the salt inspector, Lin Ruhai. He teaches Lin's daughter, Lin Daiyu, and escorts her to the Jia family's Rongguo Mansion. Jia Yucun helps Daiyu's uncle, Jia Zheng, and is reinstated. Daiyu becomes close to her cousin, Jia Baoyu, but Wang Xifeng, a daughter-in-law, schemes to marry Baoyu to Xue Baochai, a relative of the family's matriarch. When Baoyu falls ill after losing a jade, the family forces him to marry Xue Baochai, pretending that she is actually Daiyu. Daiyu is heartbroken and dies shortly after. The family eventually declines, and Baoyu becomes a monk.