A turning point in fate: Lin Xiaoman, a country girl, studies hard by the light of a kerosene lamp and gets into East China University of Science and Technology. Under the spotlights at the freshman welcome gala, she begins her transformation. From stage fright to hosting the university anniversary gala, she takes three years to go from a Cinderella to a student leader.
A meeting of kindred spirits: During graduate school, she meets the gifted junior student Cheng Yuanzhi in the laboratory. As they develop domestically made program-controlled switches, the two forge a bond in the struggle, turning their lab results into a commercial prototype in just three months.
A choice in changing times: After facing workplace harassment from a state-owned enterprise supervisor, the couple heads south to Shenzhen with their lab blueprints and establishes Yuanzhi Communications in the Shekou Industrial Zone. In two years, they transform it from a contract manufacturer into an independent research and development company.
Rising again from the depths: When a Hong Kong businessman sets a trap that brings the company to the brink of bankruptcy, they seize the opportunity presented by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications' "Eight Vertical and Eight Horizontal" optical cable project. Their independently developed fiber-optic coupler wins a national contract, taking them from tens of millions in debt to the top of the industry.
