Not long after their second son went missing outside the county hospital, their parents passed away one after another from illness.
To support his younger sister, Nini, Yan Changsheng learned to weave mats, catch fish, and raise poultry. Just as their little life was beginning to improve, Nini was raped by Zheng Wei, the brother-in-law of Huai Qiang, the village Party secretary.
Yan Changsheng, too naive to understand the implications of rape, carried on with his daily routine as usual.
Meanwhile, the second brother Yan Changsheng had lost outside the hospital had graduated from university and been placed in the shipyard by his father, a Party secretary there. He had a new name, Yang Xinhua, and when the shipyard set out to build a ferry, his design was chosen, making him an instant success.
Chen Jibing, the former head of the shipyard's design team, was transferred to a government department to serve as a youth secretary, and Yang Xinhua took over as team leader. As cement shipbuilding took off in the south, Ping County Shipyard sent Yang Xinhua and three others, including Hu Xiuguo, to Xinghua to learn about the new technology and materials. During their training, Yang Xinhua and Hu Xiuguo gradually fell in love. After they returned, the second sister discovered their relationship. She knew Yang Xinhua had been adopted, and that their parents had originally intended for one of the three sisters to marry him. She had always favored Yang Xinhua and couldn't stand the thought of someone else taking what she considered hers, so she kept pressuring their parents...
