In the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty, the world was in chaos. The flames of Lin'an have not yet been extinguished, and a group of "useless" but precious people have become the glimmer of civilization's survival: the pedantic scholar who is obsessed with movable type printing, the official prostitute who masters the art of tea-making, the disabled old craftsman who is able to build institutions, the orphan who silently recites banned books, and the female doctor who was denounced as a witch doctor. The skills and memories they carry are the "civilization fire" that the protagonist group wants to protect when they go to Quanzhou.
Shen Qingwu, a woman with a declining criminal record, went on the run to protect her old grudges and met Gu Yanzhou, the liaison of the "Xinhuo" organization. From exploiting suspicion to adversity, the two led the people through the hills of eastern Zhejiang and the Xianxia Ancient Road, and suffered setbacks in Mingzhou Port and struggles in Quanzhou Port. The pursuers have complex motives, either because of their duty or because of personal grudges, and they keep pressing all the way.
During the escape, the group of figures faced the choice of life and death: the scholar sacrificed his life to protect the calligraphy model, the official prostitute endured humiliation in exchange for a new life, the old craftsman used his body to set up an ambush... Arriving in Quanzhou, the diverse port city hid both hope and new crises. In the end, they used their wisdom and friendship to fight for the fire of civilization at the Thousand Sails Race. They were scarred but embraced the dawn, and wrote a majestic song about humanity, love and the protection of civilization in troubled times.
