Zhu Guoqiang is the fifth-generation inheritor of shadow puppetry in his family- an art form two thousand years in the making. Carving, performing, singing, and teaching entirely by hand, he has dedicated his entire life to a craft that the modern world has largely left behind. When his father died the year Zhu finished his apprenticeship, he inherited not just a skill, but a promise to keep this tradition alive. This film follows Zhu through three chapters of that promise. The inheritance, the artistry, and the devotion that has defined his life. Soul of the Shadow is an intimate portrait of a living master, and a window into one of China's most ancient and enduring cultural treasures.

朱国强是皮影戏第五代传承人，这门艺术已有两千余年的历史。从雕刻、表演、演唱到授艺，他始终坚持亲手完成每一个环节，并将自己的一生奉献给这门在现代社会中逐渐被遗忘的传统技艺。父亲在朱国强完成学徒生涯的那一年离世，他继承的不仅是一门技艺，更是一份延续这项传统的承诺。

这部影片通过三个篇章，追随朱国强履行这一承诺的历程：传承、艺术，以及贯穿其一生的坚守。

《影之魂》（Soul of the Shadow）是一部关于一位仍然活跃于世的大师的亲密肖像，也是一扇通往中国最古老、最持久文化瑰宝之一的窗口。