History student Lin Yue transmigrates to Qingpu County in 1927, amid a warlord-ravaged China, because of an intricately carved jade pendant. Struggling to find her feet in this unfamiliar world, she is taken in by the kind Wan Niang, but her modern words and ways make her an outcast in these troubled times.
A mishap at the market brings her face-to-face with Gu Yichen, the son of a warlord. Dressed in a military uniform, he has a cold, piercing gaze, yet he quietly comes to her aid whenever she gets into trouble. Armed with modern ideas of equality and freedom, she is at odds with the old ways: she trades barbs with Miss Su, uses her first-aid knowledge to help others, and even draws on her knowledge of history to help Gu Yichen avoid danger.
Torn between his family’s interests and his patriotic ideals, he is moved by the vitality in her eyes. His cold indifference gives way to protectiveness: “Stay with me. At least you’ll survive.” Famine, spies, and war follow one after another, while the jade pendant repeatedly grows hot, as if guiding her toward some hidden truth.
Their love, spanning a hundred years, is tested and upheld amid the smoke and flames of war. When she tells him of a future of equality and prosperity, he resolves to fight for that ideal. The secret of the mysterious jade pendant lies in the promise they keep together, bearing witness to beauty blossoming in troubled times.
