On May 12, 2008, the Chinese province of Sichuan was struck by a devastating earthquake that killed almost 70,000 people. Among them were 5,000 school-aged children. The Next Life is about the enormous sorrow of parents who lost their child—often their only child.

Hongmei Ye’s eight-year-old daughter, who was in school at the time of the disaster, died in the earthquake. For Hongmei, it’s virtually impossible to process her grief and get on with her life. She is now dead-set on getting pregnant again, believing that it’s the only way to happiness. A new child—and definitely a daughter—will give her and her husband the feeling that their lost child has returned, and they will once again have direction in life.

But getting pregnant isn’t the easiest thing for 40-year-old Hongmei, especially now that there’s so much pressure to make it happen. The film follows her during repeated in vitro fertilization treatments and in conversation with other unfortunate couples, with the rebuilding of their city as the backdrop.