China wins the U17 World Cup for the first time, with three players at the heart of the team shining brightly: striker Quan Heng, defensive midfielder Gao Tianfang, and goalkeeper Lei Gang. The entire football world believes the dawn of Chinese football has arrived. The three young men live up to their promise, heading overseas to learn in foreign leagues. Three years later, they join their senior teammates in reaching the World Cup finals, but nerves get the better of them. All three put in mediocre performances on the World Cup stage and make a series of mistakes in the most crucial match, resulting in China’s elimination. Not long after returning home, the three are driving together when a truck driven by a crazed fan slams into them. One dies and two are injured, and all three vanish from the football world. Eight years later, driven by a pure love of football and carrying the memory of his brothers, Quan Heng steps onto the pitch once more. This time, he is no longer just a striker who can score goals. His opponents call him “the free spirit of the pitch.”
