Lin Xiangdong, a veteran of the Jinggang Mountains nicknamed “Lin the Living Map,” knows the terrain so well he never forgets a route once he has seen it. During the Long March, he commands the elite Second Company. Beginning with the desperate defense of the Central Military Commission's command post at Qinggangpo, he draws on his unmatched knowledge of the terrain to lead his men through desperate battles, turning the tide against overwhelming odds at the Four Crossings of the Chishui River, the daring crossing of the Jinsha River, and the capture of the Luding Bridge. Driven by a single-minded resolve to “lead the brothers north alive,” he breaks through the encirclement of four hundred thousand enemy troops, crosses treacherous natural barriers, and scales snow-capped mountains, carving a lifeline through the Long March with flesh and blood, a spark that will set the land ablaze.
