At the same time, he can avoid coming into contact with other people. He isolates himself, sleeping in the factory by day and patrols the grounds at night. Xinya comes to know of his thinking and tries to dissuade him from doing this, but her advice falls on deaf ears. Bufan wakes up one midnight to find his wife and daughter snuggled in his arms. Xinya tells him that as a family, they either die or live on bravely together. Aids is not a terminal illness and it can be kept in control by drugs. Xinya has never exuded such courage and resilience. Touched, Bufan tearfully resolves not to escape anymore. He returns to Xinya's side. At this point, the couple realise that their vivacious and exuberant little girl has changed too. Tiantian has become sullen and antagonistic. Her diaries are filled with unanswered questions, lamentation and indignance. At her swimming lessons, one of the activities where the little girl used to be happiest, Tiantian consciously distances herself from the other students for fear of harming them. Her diary entries are increasingly short until at last, some forcefully written question marks (“???”) remain. At around the same time too, Xinya gets acquainted with her student's father, Andy, who intentionally comes into Bufan and Xinya's lives. What is Andy's motive and how will he affect Bufan and Xinya's marriage? A drained Xinya and an increasingly withdrawn Tiantian... How can the depressed Bufan face up with these challenges? Would the bond between members of the family become stronger through adversity or would the ties not stand the test? Will they overcome all obstacles? Will Yuhang ever tell Buqun the truth about her condition? Will Buqun be able to accept this fact? At the 2009 Star Awards, "By My Side" managed several nominations despite "The Little Nyonya" dominating the awards. The other dramas nominated for Best Drama Series and Best Theme Songs were The Little Nyonya , Love Blossoms , Just in Singapore , The Golden Path and Perfect Cut.