The first protagonist of the novel, Ping Si (full name Chen Anping), is a migrant worker struggling to make a living in the city; the second protagonist, Chen Zhigao, is a senior urban white-collar worker who left the countryside through studying. The novel takes the friendship of two people as the first line, and then uses their respective love as the second line. It explores the living conditions, emotional demands of today's migrant workers, and the existence of the fourth emotion besides family, love and friendship.
At the same time, the novel further explores the attitude towards life and the true meaning of human nature through the lives of the first protagonist Ping Si and some people around him. We can see ordinary people everywhere in life, including ourselves. And we ordinary people should just muddle through our lives? Or should we have a goal to chase no matter how big or small it is - many people call it an ideal? In human nature, is goodness the same as goodness? Is evil just evil? Is there a clear dividing line between them? Yes, where? No, how do people make the distinction?