《长城脚下》讲述了在长城慕田峪段山脚下，田仙峪村和北沟村生活和工作的三个人的故事。它探索了他们一生中经历的变化，以及他们与长城和周围环境的关系。这部纪录片从那些生活在长城脚下的人的角度，审视了旅游业如何影响人们的工作，以及旅游业给当地带来的变革。在长城脚下，生活在长城周围的人，生活与塑造日常生活节奏的景观交织在一起，而不是只关注长城本身。

In the Shadow of the Wall follows three people who live and work in Tian Xian Yu and Beigou, villages situated in the foothills of the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. It explores the changes they have experienced during their lifetimes and their relationships to the Great Wall and surroundings. The film looks at how the tourism industry has impacted peoples’ work and the transformations it has brought to the local area, from the perspective of those who live in its shadow. Instead of focusing on the wall itself, In the Shadow of the Wall interweaves the lives of those who live around it, with the landscape that shapes the rhythms of daily life.