The core of the story is a longer and more cruel inner war that Wang Jixing started after the external war ended. It explores four core propositions:
1. Crime and punishment: The past with Yang Nini is the moral "original sin", Zen meditation is self-punishment, and the ranch in New Zealand is an attempt at "redemption".
2. Escape and face: From "escape" from Beijing, to "placement" in New Zealand, to "detachment" from space, every geographical migration is a response to inner dilemma.
3. Era and individuals: From the end of the "Xiangshan Society" era to the torrent of conservatism and the era of intelligence, individuals' drift and choices in history.
4. The multiple forms of love: the end of the "favor" with Luo Xiaoqing, the renewal of the "relationship" with Yang Nini, the "fulfilment" with Wu Yinghua, and the "confidant" feelings with Steinberg and Yu Donglai.
Concept: In the world of emotions, there are both warm and cold currents.