At a poetry meeting by the Suzhou River in 1935, Lin Wan'er, the daughter of a wealthy businessman, and Shen Yichen, a talented scholar, became connected through poetry, and the two began to fall in love in the misty rain in the south of the Yangtze River. Through exchanging letters and admiring flowers in the garden, the relationship between the two gradually deepened. Shen Yichen confessed his feelings to Lin Wan'er in front of the garden full of peonies. Lin's father's business suddenly changed and he was falsely accused of collaborating with the enemy and imprisoned. The Lin family fell into crisis. At the same time, the Shen family arranged for Shen Yichen to marry the Liu family to consolidate their status. Shen Yichen was forced to get engaged to Liu Ruyan under the pressure of his parents to die. Lin Wan'er left heartbroken, leaving a love pendant at the dock. Three years later, the two met again in a remote town. Shen Yichen discovered the truth about the Lin family's tragedy and was determined to make up for his mistakes. When Shen Yichen was about to pursue Lin Wan'er again, Liu Ruyan threatened to die, and Lin Wan'er once again chose to leave to fulfill others. The two of them each spent the rest of their lives with unresolved affection, and finally at the end of their lives, their souls reunited in the mist and rain in the south of the Yangtze River.
