In the final years of the Daoguang reign, the land is shattered and the rivers and mountains lie in ruins. A Yu, a young fisherman, loses his family and home, but is taken in by Nalan Gong, Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi. He joins the army as a low-ranking soldier, determined to serve his country. He crushes the White Lotus rebels, guards the southern frontier, and fights off foreign invaders. He witnesses the suffering of a world in chaos, yet still believes in the faint glimmer of light within the Forbidden City.
But the Eastern Palace falls, the Self-Strengthening Movement is abandoned, loyal ministers die, and the old faction seizes power. There is no path to reform, and his dream of serving the emperor shatters.
Across the vast realm, darkness and storms prevail, leaving only one dim lamp burning.
When that light goes out, he will make his own body the flame, setting the land ablaze and forging a new world.
