In 1977, childhood friends Yang Chunxue and Liang Maicha dream of taking college exams together, but Chunxue is forced into marriage due to a family crisis, prompting Maicha to leave home. After enduring hardship, Chunxue finds a new beginning by starting a sewing business in her village, while Maicha returns with brick-making skills to revive the local kiln. Together, they transform their poor village into a provincial model of economic growth.
After the outbreak of the May 4th Movement, Li Dazhao, Chen Duxiu and others discussed China's crisis and the way out, and put forward the idea of saving China with Marxism. The National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held on a cruise ship in Nanhu Lake. Thirteen representatives including Mao Zedong came together with the common goal of reforming China.