It begins with the “good fortune” of Su Wan being adopted by the Shen family at the age of eight, and follows how Shen Xiujin’s indulgence nurtures her twisted mindset. After reuniting with her birth mother, Liu Yuniang, she joins her in plotting against the Shen family. She becomes obsessed with Shen Yuheng and resorts to any means necessary to rise to the top. Once she gets there, she keeps finding new ways to bring about her own ruin, until she is abandoned by everyone, cast off by her birth mother, and finally jumps into the river in despair. The story focuses on how she squanders an excellent hand, with beauty and foolishness, greed and cruelty intertwining to drag her into an irredeemable abyss.
