The protagonist Liu Xiaomin has dreamed of being a writer since he was a child, but he was admitted to the Philosophy Department of Peking University by mistake. Under the temptation of the American dream, he went to the United States for further study. However, what greeted him was a series of unexpected misfortunes. Under the oppression of the environment, the persuasion of friends, and the stimulation of the betrayal of his Japanese girlfriend, he finally left the university where he studied for a doctorate and came to Silicon Valley to study computers. An accidental opportunity turned him into a second-hand car businessman. Just when he was about to buy a villa of his choice, his American partner took away his funds and disappeared without a trace. Then, he experienced a series of difficulties such as being collected by customers and banks for debts, being sued by the DMV and having his license revoked, being betrayed by friends, being arrested due to a misunderstanding, and having his son sentenced to stay with other people's families. His American dream was finally shattered. Just when he was in despair, his former American landlord, who had just returned from China, introduced him to the Chinese Dream, which made him feel very inspired. So he returned to his long-lost motherland. When he revisited the old place, he finally rediscovered his long-buried dream of being a writer and began to write down his experiences.