At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, war broke out across the land south of the Yangtze River. Amid the change of power and the flames of war, five low-level people with different identities - the homeless man Li Sanjuan, the thief Wang Banjin, the brothel girl Ajiuniang, the escaped farmer Zhang Tietou, and the down-and-out scholar Qian Xiaoliu - have intertwined destinies and work together to find a way to survive in troubled times. Despite suffering and sacrifice, they faced the cruel reality with ridicule and self-deprecation, and gained human warmth, growth and redemption through mutual help and care. The three volumes are intertwined with multiple threads, showing the humbleness and greatness of the grassroots in troubled times.
