During the fifteenth year of Emperor Kang Xi's reign, a catastrophic Yellow River flood devastates the empire. To save his people, Kang Xi recruits brilliant minds through civil service exams, including the innovative Chen Huang, to confront the crisis and restore hope.
A story of hope and despair surrounding the lives of a mother and son from a small town in Subei. The 18-year-old Ding Xiao Jun who lives with his mother Ding Bi Yun has been admitted to a university in Beijing. However, as soon as he entered university, he is ridiculed by his classmates. Ding Xiao Jun starts to rebel until he gets a warning that he will no longer graduate. Luckily, his mother gets through to him in time for him to pull himself together and earn enough credits to graduate.
A father and son represent two generations of policemen as they risk their lives in the war against drugs.