The school newspaper reporter Wen Shaohan went to the mountains to do an interview. When he returned to school, he missed the boat due to motion sickness and was forced to stay at the ferry. He met Dong Xiaoqian, a student of the school's art school, and they had a great conversation. After returning to school, through participating in calligraphy exhibitions, mountain climbing, and visiting hermits, the two hearts gradually became closer and eventually developed into a pair of sweet lovers. As the new semester approaches, Wen Shaohan has to prepare for postgraduate review, while Dong Xiaoqian has to go to Shanghai for an internship due to changes in school plans.
After Dong went to Shanghai, things happened one after another in their families. First, Dong's father accidentally killed someone because he was deceived, and he owed a heavy debt. At a cocktail party held by the company, Dong was in a bad mood and was walking on the street at night and was accidentally raped. Shortly after school started, Wen Shaohan received the bad news that his mother had died of lung cancer and he went home to attend the funeral. The two had no time to take care of both, and there were rifts in their relationship.
After the two met at the ferry, they got acquainted with the old calligrapher Yu Zhenghe and the old boatman Song Xishui who lived in seclusion here to protect the peach blossom jellyfish. Dong Xiaoqian formed a master-disciple relationship with Yu because of her passion for calligraphy, and Wen Shaohan also had a good relationship with the two old men. Dong Xiaoqian felt ashamed of her deep affection for Wen Shaohan, so she returned to school to complete the graduation procedures and left without saying goodbye. After Wen Shaohan suffered the pain of broken love and unemployment, after intense ideological struggle and help from others, he finally cheered up and determined to help the two elderly people protect the peach blossom jellyfish. A year later, Wen Shaohan had completed everything and embarked on a travel journey, preparing to go to the poorest western region in China. He unexpectedly met Dong's roommate at the train station and learned from her that Dong Xiaoqian had participated in a teaching aid activity in the western region held by the province.