In the early years of reform and opening up, Su Lan, a sent-down youth, chooses to put down roots at a remote forest farm in Qingshan. From an inexperienced young woman, she grows into a tough, capable forestry technician. During a visit home, her frank nature and striking features catch the eye of her fellow villager, Chen Zhiqiang. His passionate pursuit and persistence win her over beside her little cabin in the woods at the forest farm, and they soon fall in love. Then, unexpectedly, she learns she is pregnant.
But that sweetness soon turns to shock: Su Lan discovers that Chen Zhiqiang is already married and has two daughters. To escape punishment for misconduct, Chen Zhiqiang tricks his ex-wife, Liu Mei, into divorcing him. For the sake of her unborn child, Su Lan rushes into marriage with him. But after the wedding, Chen Zhiqiang remains true to his unfaithful nature, carrying on with other women. Completely disillusioned, Su Lan takes her newborn daughter, Su Xiaoqing, back to the forest farm and moves into a tiny room barely ten square meters in size.
Over the decades that follow, Su Lan gives up on remarrying. With her meager income from the forest farm and sheer resilience, she raises Su Xiaoqing alone, supported by the care of the old farm manager, Zhou Jianguo, and the help of her friend, Li Juan. When her daughter grows up, she meets the steady and dependable Gao Lei, and the two build a happy home together. At last, in the peaceful years she spends at the forest farm, Su Lan watches her daughter and son-in-law live in harmony and love, with her grandchild at her side. All the hardships of the past become a gift, giving her a secure and fulfilling old age.
