A Fleeting Life Before the Snow Falls

On a rainy plum-blossom night in the Jiangnan region in 1924, Lin Xuetang, daughter of the Su family, first meets Shen Yanzhou, son of the commander of Beiping, by the lotus pond at a country estate. A family heirloom jade pendant engraved with a dragon brings them together, sparking a romance that spans the north and south. She is graceful and poetic; he is bold and spirited like a soldier. From protecting each other at school to exploring an ancient temple, from fishing lights on a night lake to love notes in verse, their feelings quietly take root amid the misty rain of Jiangnan. But the times are as turbulent as the tide. War between the Zhili and Fengtian cliques breaks out, forcing Shen Yanzhou to return north, and the two part in haste. A jade pendant conceals a secret of the Shen family, while a political conspiracy lies behind an arranged marriage. Feng Shiyuan's schemes, Su Wan's betrayal, and the delivery of military intelligence amid the flames of war all push the two toward the depths of fate. When the Northern Expedition Army approaches Pingzhou, when a blood-red wedding dress is stained with dust, and when the lovers' secret vow by the twin-lotus pond fades into silence, Xuetang gives her life to protect her homeland, while Yanzhou searches for the truth amid the flames of war. From the rain of Jiangnan to the smoke of battle in the north, from their secret pledge to their farewell in the snowy night, this is a tragic song of lovers struggling between duty to their homeland and a love that cuts to the bone. In the end, a bloodstained handkerchief and a pond full of lotus flowers hold their gaze across death, and their regrets.