Inspired by Qin-era wooden letters unearthed in 1975 at Shuihudi in Yunmeng, Hubei, Home Letters tells the story of two brothers, Heifu and Jing, who serve as Qin soldiers and struggle to balance war and family. In 224 BC, Jing, a young man from Anlu County in Nanjun, Qin, is conscripted. Though his mother tries desperately to stop him, he sets off for the battlefield, dreaming of earning military honors. Before leaving, he hastily marries his new bride, Yan, and departs his hometown carrying his family's hopes and fears. On the Huaiyang battlefield, Jing reunites with his second brother, Heifu, who had enlisted earlier. The brothers support each other through the horrors of war.
Heifu was once badly wounded and saved by Ji Mi, a doctor from Chu. In a world torn apart by war, the two develop feelings for each other despite being enemies. But the shadow of war never lifts. Jing witnesses injustice and corruption on the battlefield, and his dreams of military honors gradually fade. When the city falls, Heifu gives his life saving Ji Mi. Jing, too, is mortally wounded in a battle to suppress rebels. With his dying breath, he writes in blood of his longing for his wife.
Back home, their mother and eldest brother, Zhong, go from place to place trying to raise money to support the brothers, only to receive the news that both have died in battle. Their mother dies of grief. After remarrying, Yan still remembers her first love, naming her children Nian and Jing in his memory. Years later, as Zhong lies on his deathbed, he repeatedly strokes the brothers' letters home before finally passing away, consumed by longing.
Through the eyes of ordinary soldiers, the story portrays individual fates and the conflict between family and state during the Qin wars of unification. It reveals both the glory and the cruelty of the military merit system, as well as the resilience and helplessness of familial and romantic love in a time of chaos. The wooden letters serve as a link across time, connecting the battlefield to home and preserving a tragic tale buried for a thousand years.
