Xiaofang, the Village Girl

In the early 1980s, in a village in northern China, seventeen-year-old Lin Xiaofang is caught between her stepfather's advances and a village bully's coercion. With help from Chen Jianjun, a veteran, she flees Qing Shan Village under cover of night.

Starting with a single sewing machine in the provincial capital, she founds Xiulian Apparel. Her stepfather, Wang Laoshi, pursues her relentlessly. Village team leader Zhang Jianguo tries to force her into submission with a recruitment form, cadre's son Zhou Haitao lusts after her, merchant Boss Liang cuts off her supplies, and businesswoman Sun Fengxian tries to take over her factory. Behind it all, Deputy Director Zhou Dewang and Personnel Office Chief Shao Hong wield their power against her.

Again and again, she is driven to the brink, and again and again she fights her way back. Chen Jianjun silently watches over her, while sisters like Bai Lili, Widow Zhang, and Shen Yulan risk their lives to help.

From an adobe house to the business world of the provincial capital, from seventeen to twenty, she uses a pair of scissors to cut through the layers of restraints that era imposes on women. She rises without relying on men and refuses to bow to power, becoming Boss Lin, someone everyone wants to curry favor with but no one dares look down on again.

This is the story of a girl from the lowest rung of society making a stunning comeback, and a stirring ode to courage, friendship, and love.