In the spring of 1926, ancient-text restorer Lin Wantang unexpectedly transmigrates to Baxian County during the Republic of China era. With her exceptional archival skills, she joins the Baxian Literature Committee, the organization compiling the Annals of Baxian County. There, she meets Gu Weizhen, a young editor recently returned from Japan: outwardly gentle and refined, but with the iron conviction of an underground member of the Communist Party of China.
Brought together by history, the two gradually uncover Japan's ambitions in eastern Sichuan as they organize records of the Baxian mission cases and the opening of the treaty port. Warlords interfere with the county annals, the March 31 Massacre breaks out, and rival factions vie for influence in the Wangjiatuo concession... Swept up in the tides of the era, Lin Wantang is deeply moved by Gu Weizhen's devotion to his country. From a modern woman who only wanted to “restore old papers,” she grows into a steadfast revolutionary.
From letters exchanged on the banks of the Jialing River to a shared faith beneath the night rain of Bashan; from life-and-death struggles over historical records to the fulfillment of their mission to complete the county annals, they wield their pens like weapons. Over eight years, they protect a city's memory and the undying light in their hearts.
Rooted in the history of the Annals of Baxian County and fueled by devotion to the people, this is a Republican-era epic in which the fate of the nation and the family are one.
