In occupied Taiwan, Yu is been chased by the authorities. She meets Lien, who will help her with plastic surgery. However, this encounter will change their fate.

Soon, Taiwan has become an occupied province of an oppressive big empire. Yu is in prison along with other young students that are now considered rebels. Instead of waiting for her execution, Yu escapes along with other nine young girls and she hides alone until she finds the way to get to the city. There, she will meet Lien, a girl who will help her change her face with plastic surgery to escape to Thailand. However, Yu has drawn too much attention and she will have to hide in Lien’s house first. Yu will gradually become fascinated by Lien’s mysterious personality and her ability to create drugs to evade their worlds and create a new one on their own. Eventually, Yu will find out that Lien’s encounter was part of a bigger and darker plan by the authorities, and they will both realize they are now trapped between their feelings for each other and their two different missions.

I was first inspired by the recent events we observe in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. Fundamental human rights are been abolished in front of our eyes as we watch this dark cloud growing and coming our way. In Taiwan, we are still at a safe distance from those events. But the young generations are starting to look from time to time with concern at the horizon. Butterflies is a story set in the future that speaks about our present. It attempts to reflect the anxiety and the contradictions that the younger generations have when they try to envision their future.