In the early winter of 1936, a rare storm swept across the mountains in the south of the Yangtze River.
Former diplomat Lu Boan invited six guests of different identities to the isolated Wuyin Villa, a European-style castle built by Westernization officials in the late Qing Dynasty, in the name of "treasure hunting." Among the visitors were the has-been silent film actress Bai Lu, semiotics professor Wen Shouyu, former war correspondent-turned-private detective Shen Nianqing, antique dealer Jin Furen, and Lu Boan's adopted son Lu Ziming.
At the dinner, Lu Boan announced a shocking news: the truth about a murder case twenty-two years ago was hidden in this villa. Whoever finds it will inherit his entire inheritance. However, early the next morning, Lu Boan was found dead in the study that was locked from the inside - the doors and windows were locked, the key was in the deceased's pocket, and a Warring States bronze sword was missing.
The storm destroyed the only stone bridge leading to the outside world, and the villa became an isolated island. Shen Nianqing was ordered to launch an investigation at the critical moment, and soon discovered that the "old case from twenty-two years ago" mentioned by the deceased was the real lead to the murder. Twenty-two years ago, an innocent man died and a family was destroyed due to perjury. And everyone trapped in the villa tonight has a bottomless connection with that old case.
As the investigation deepens and a second murder occurs, the mystery of the secret room is peeled away layer by layer. Shen Nianqing gradually realized that there was more than one murderer in this death. Some people are using their lives to atone for their sins, some are using silence to protect themselves, and some have been wearing masks for twenty-two years just to complete an irreversible trial. And when the truth is revealed, a "justice" written by the victim and the perpetrator tortures the soul of everyone present.
Intent: The truth can be delayed, but never buried. Everyone has to pay the price for their silence.