《钢的琴》讲的是在激变的社会生活中一对离婚夫妻争夺女儿抚养权的日常生活场景。两个人共同约定把决策权交给孩子，而孩子小元给出了一个非常简单粗暴的方式：谁给她买钢琴，她跟谁。曾经抛夫别女离家出走的母亲，现在已经有了一个更有钱伴侣，给孩子买一架钢琴对她来说不是一件难事，而作为昔日的下岗工人，今日小乐队经理人的父亲来说一架钢琴却是可望不可及的奢侈品，在这种故事情节的设定下，父亲决定和昔日的钢厂工人一起做一部钢琴。 

影片通过展示小人物的幽默与艰辛展露一段感人至深的亲情和友情。

The Piano in a Factory depicts the day-to-day scenes of a divorced couple fighting for custody of their daughter amidst a rapidly changing society. When the couple agrees to let their daughter make the decision, the little girl came up with a very simple solution: She would go with whomever buys her a piano. To the mother, who had once walked out on her family and now found a richer husband, buying a piano is not a difficult task. But for the father, who was a laid off factory worker and now the manager of a small band, a piano is a luxury well beyond his grasp. With the story’s set up, the father and his former work buddies from the steel mill decided to make a piano.

Through the humor and hardship in the lives of the ordinary people, this film reveals a deeply touching story of kinship and friendship.