In the late Jiajing years of the Ming Dynasty, the sea was rough and Japanese pirates and Western colonists were raging in the southeast. When Chen Yuanfan, the commander of the Quanzhou Guard, was investigating an arms smuggling case, he accidentally discovered that there was a huge and intricate network of forces involved behind it. At the same time, his close friend Zhou Wenyuan, the chief merchant officer, was also involved in this shocking whirlpool of battles over sea territory, wealth and court.
Chen Yuanfan upholds the belief of "every inch of mountains and rivers, every inch of blood" and wants to clear away the haze with thunder; Zhou Wenyuan firmly believes in "opening up the sea to rejuvenate the country" and tries to find a new path for the dynasty in the cracks of various forces. In the flames of ideal and reality, loyalty and betrayal, the two people experienced the test of trust and the choice of fate.
When the final conspiracy emerges, they must make a choice: abide by their loyalty, or fight for the common people? This struggle is not only about personal life and death, but also determines the fate of an ancient empire amidst the turbulence of the sea.
