DATONG follows the life and work of a controversial Chinese Communist Mayor GENG YANBO to tell the story about how he takes a radical reform to demolish 140,000 households and relocate half a million people to give way to restoration of Ancient relic walls in order to adopt a clean economic growth from tourism and culture, which he believes will do good to DA TONG citizen in the long term. With two years in the footsteps of GENG, along with the changing ideology and confrontations from the public, the film is trying to draw a looming shape of future of China.

导演周浩认识了两位“朋友”，其中一位人称“龙哥”，周浩与他们之间的交往构成了这部片子。刚开始相处的时候，周浩只是随手拍摄一些素材，但随着时间的推移，周浩开始有目的和他们交“朋友”，同时，这几位“朋友”们奇迹般地允许周浩进入他们的生活——他们吸毒也贩毒的生活。主人公“阿龙”知道周浩“需要”他，他一次次跟周浩借钱，影片总是在借钱、信誓旦旦戒毒、复吸中周而复始.

本片纪录了中国福建省一所普通中学一个高三毕业班的真实生活。高三的生活日复一日，简单而又沉重，痛苦却也快乐。
善良严厉的班主任，紧张刻苦的尖子生，逃避生活的“差生”，执着爱情的“早恋生”，学生的父母，每个亲历高三的人都有各自的感悟和超越高三的期望。影片的纪录真实、直白，透过高三生活的纪录，让人感到的不仅仅是为理想执着拼搏的浪漫，更有一种如鲠在喉的悲哀。