The heroine, Yao Shu, flees famine for a thousand miles with her frail father and sick mother. They encounter ruthless bandits, and after narrowly escaping death, she is left an orphan. But she also meets An Ruyan, the benefactor who will change her life. The two become as close as sisters, supporting each other as Yao Shu begins a new chapter in her life. She enters the martial world and learns remarkable medical skills; she enters the inner chambers and finds a kindred spirit; she enters the imperial city and witnesses the splendor of imperial power and the hardships of life… Her dear friend An Ruyan marries the great general Wen Shirong, and Yao Shu thinks they are all headed for a happy ending. But can life ever go exactly as planned? An old acquaintance whom Yao Shu once befriended out of kindness, unable to win her love, grows resentful. Using his special position, he manipulates events until Yao Shu falls into an abyss of no return. Yao Shu is separated from the man she loves, while An Ruyan and her husband both die tragically… Yao Shu escapes with the orphaned child of An Ruyan and Wen Shirong, assumes the name Li Weiniang, and meets the man she once loved again, only to find that he has become someone else’s husband… Her first half of life was full of hardship, and the second half seems no easier…
