The story is set in China in the 1950s, a decade when many major events took place. The best known are the Three Great Transformations of 1952, described in textbooks; the First Five-Year Plan, from 1953 to 1957; the First National People’s Congress in 1954; and the Second National People’s Congress in 1959.
The protagonists’ parents were born in this era. Their father is Zhao Haizhu, and their mother is Kuang Lanxin. Kuang Lanxin gave birth to two daughters, Zhao Datian and Kuang Xiaotian. The younger girl was originally named Zhao Xiaotian, but later changed her name to Kuang Xiaotian. Her older sister was born several years earlier.
Their father is a true farmer with little education. Their mother is an intellectual by background, and was a sent-down youth. For various historical reasons, the parents gradually grew apart. Eventually, the elder daughter stayed with her father, while the younger one went with her mother. Part of the reason was that Kuang Lanxin had never given birth to a son, which Zhao Haizhu resented. Later, hoping to continue the family line, Zhao Haizhu took up with another woman. When he was found out, his relationship with his wife shattered completely. During the divorce, he made Kuang Lanxin choose one of their daughters, and she chose the younger one.
Their father drank heavily and beat his family. Zhao Datian couldn’t take it anymore and ran off with a local hoodlum.
Their mother was highly educated and placed great importance on her daughter’s upbringing from an early age. Kuang Xiaotian eventually became a narcotics officer.
By a twist of fate, the sisters became adversaries: one a notorious drug lord, the other a law-abiding narcotics officer. What path will fate lead them down?
Theme: Choosing between family and self-interest
