In 1983, after failing the college entrance exam's preliminary selection, young Chen Weidong is written off by everyone as a hopeless case. As reform and opening-up gather momentum, he heads south alone to make his way in the world, starting out as a driver at the bottom of the ladder. With an ancestral talent for appraising antiques, and through day and night studying foreign languages and business management, he earns the favor of foreign executives and rises through the ranks until he is entrusted with the management of a major factory. Seizing the opportunities of the era, he acquires suppliers, secures vast tracts of industrial land, and amasses a fortune worth billions. The down-and-out young man who once had nothing ultimately returns home in glory, spending lavishly, marrying the woman he loves, and delivering a satisfying face-slapping to everyone who looked down on him. He completes his underdog's rise and reaches the pinnacle of life.
