In the 1990s, private excavation and indiscriminate mining became common in Huangtupo in western Shanxi. Black coal was the hard currency, and those who were bold could be exchanged for wealth. Ma Quan was born a brave man with scars on his face and a heart as hard as stone. He was unwilling to die in poverty in a clay kiln all his life, so he secretly opened a black coal kiln with his fellow villagers. There was no support, no safety, no licenses, just pickaxes, kerosene lamps and a desperate determination. He stood guard during the day and dug wildly at night. The more money he earned, the more courage he gained. He turned a blind eye to the danger of cave collapse and was indifferent to the lives of his co-workers. He thought he could climb all the way to the sky by stepping on black coal, but he didn't know that the end of his madness would be a heavy rain, a landslide, and four lives. When the loess suddenly falls, dreams of getting rich are shattered, and the prison door opens. A daring man, a period of crazy and disorderly years, a tragedy in which he exchanged his life for money and was eventually betrayed by fate.
