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In the cold winter of the thirty-seventh year of Jingtai in the Dayong Dynasty, the leaden clouds hung low and the snow broke like knives. In the "mud alley" outside the capital, hungry and cold beggars struggled on the edge of death. Thirteen-year-old orphan Xiao Yan, who is thin but has sharp eyes, and her crippled brother Shitou, who depend on each other, survive in the cracks of the weak and the strong. Their "leader" Scarface is fierce and domineering, and is a direct threat to their survival. The leftovers dumped every day at Fuxing Restaurant at the entrance of the alley are the only hope for Mud Mud Alley. With keen observation, Xiao Yan managed to grab a white-flour steamed bun dipped in vegetable soup amidst the chaos of swill and snow. However, the cruelty of the competition goes beyond hunger - the old beggar was trampled, the little girl was robbed of her food, and the struggle of humanity was nakedly staged in the ice and snow. Xiao Yan hid the food and shared the meager income with Shitou in the dilapidated temple, which was surrounded by drafts. He used the last bits of wheat bran and firewood to maintain the weak warmth. A vague but firm idea quietly sprouted in the young man's heart: He wanted to find a way to make himself, Shitou, and all people like them live less like dogs in this troubled and cold winter. A small footprint steps into the wind and snow, and a journey that begins with survival and leads to resistance begins.