Time: The 1990s
Location: Lincheng, a provincial capital in Northeast China
Through the story of Gao Zhengyu, an ordinary man from a worker’s family, we follow how a student who failed his exams seizes opportunities, and even creates them, overcoming countless hardships and struggling through repeated rises and falls to become a mid-level official at his workplace. Against the backdrop of sweeping social change, the novel depicts how young people grow, and how they strive to rise above their lowest points and adversity.
In love, he has always pursued the big-eyed girl from his dreams. After getting married, he finally meets someone with just such a pair of eyes. How will he face her?
Is that all?