In the summer of 1932, Lin Wantang, who had returned from studying abroad, opened the door of his father's study and saw Shen Zhiyao for the first time - a young scholar standing at the intersection of light and shadow, with clear and meaningful features like old photos from the Republic of China. He is his father's most trusted assistant and the youngest associate professor in Shanghai. He is gentle and talented.
However, in that era of turbulent undercurrents, the secret accounts of the smuggling network were hidden behind the elegant study, and the sound of books covered up the whispers of collaboration with the enemy. When Ye Tang accidentally discovered her father's secret dealings with a Japanese trading company, Shen Zhiyao revealed to her the dark undertones beneath the Lin family's glamorous appearance.
Two souls who should not have met quietly approached in the gap between the hatred of the country and the family. He is a lonely and evil son of a poor family who bears a blood feud. She is a rebellious daughter who is well-dressed and well-fed but unwilling to join in the evil. From the deep compound in Shanghai's French Concession to the war-torn frontline hospital, from the torture chamber of Nanjing Prison to the oil lamp of Yan'an cave dwelling, in the past thirteen years, they have looked at each other across the bank - separated by the shackles of ethics, separated by the smoke of war, separated by the distance between life and death.
It wasn't until 1945 that the victory bell rang, and the two scarred figures finally met again in the crowd on the Bund. His hair has grown gray, his appearance has changed, but the deep love in his eyes that has transcended war, betrayal and long waiting remains the same.
This is a story about love and betrayal, ideals and sacrifice, and adhering to the original intention in the tide of the times. When mountains and rivers are broken, where should personal love go? When the righteousness of family and country collides fiercely with the love of flesh and blood, how should we make a choice? "Time Across the Shore" depicts an ukiyo-e of the late Republic of China with delicate brushstrokes, composing an immortal and affectionate song in troubled times.
Purpose: Taking the time span from 1932 to 1954, through the love and life trajectories of Shen Zhiyao and Lin Wantang, it shows the choice, perseverance and growth of a generation of Chinese intellectuals amid the great changes in their home country. The story is not only the personal joys and sorrows, but also an aspect of Chinese history in the twentieth century - from the war of resistance to liberation, from fragmentation to reconstruction, from waiting to rebirth.