Although the core event of the story centers around juvenile delinquency, 'Summer is the Coldest Season' doesn’t focus on the crime itself. Instead, the film demonstrates how the 13 year-old Jiahe, a sensitive and introverted girl, deals with the consequences. It shows how she survives through the death of her mother, how she reacts to the fact thatminors are not obligated to bear criminal responsibilities and how she reforms the relationship with her father and regains his trust in the end.