In the final years of the Beiyang Government, a southern provincial capital is divided among warlords, while old and new ideas clash fiercely. The Lin family is a respected local family of scholars who support the student movement for progress; the Gu family, meanwhile, commands a powerful army and rules with ruthless methods. Su Wanning is a student at the provincial girls’ normal school. Her father is killed by a stray bullet during the chaos of a student march protesting the Gu family’s excessive taxes. The Su family believes the Gu family was responsible, and flees overnight with their daughter. From then on, they are separated. Gu Yanci is the young commander of the Gu family. He appears cold and ruthless, but despises the life of a warlord and has never been able to let go of Su Wanning. Five years later, the Su family’s business goes bankrupt, and her grandfather falls gravely ill and urgently needs a large sum of money. Gu Yanci needs to win over the local gentry to consolidate his rule, and has never given up searching for Su Wanning. The two are forced together...
