The novel tells the story of Zhang Yang and his bosses Hou and Yang Dawei, colleagues Wu Deyin and Li Mei, boss Zhou Guoqing, lover Fang Rumei, out-of-school girl Xiaoman and others. Zhang Yang is smart by nature, motivated, compassionate, filial, loving, serious and responsible at work, and kind to others in life. Even if he encounters a lost old lady whom he has never met, he will not hesitate to help. He was supposed to have a good future and a happy family, but due to his stubborn "success concept", ethereal vanity, poor self-esteem, overflowing "love", unbridled desire and blind pride, he lost himself on the way forward. In sharp contrast, Hou's city is deep, Yang Dawei's sweet talk, Wu Deyin's sophistication, and Li Mei's shrewdness all highlight Zhang Yang's fatal weakness in human nature. His tragedy was doomed from the beginning. His heart was as high as the sky and his life was as thin as paper. While making people sympathize with him, he was also ridiculous. He could only end up as a needless victim and worthless cannon fodder in this farce.
