At the end of 2019, an unexplained pneumonia outbreak struck, and Xiao Yan, director of Beijing Military Region General Hospital, was entrusted with a vital mission in the midst of the crisis. A student of Academician Zhong Nanshan, she coordinated the hospital's epidemic response and formed an emergency medical team to fortify Beijing's defenses. At the same time, she faced a deeply personal worry: her younger sister, Xiao Ning, a key member of the respiratory department, volunteered for the front lines in Wuhan, while her husband, Lu Ze'an, the foreign minister, also rushed to Wuhan to coordinate supplies.
At home, their children longed for a family reunion, and her brother-in-law was under observation at home. Family worries and frontline responsibilities intertwined in Xiao Yan's heart. As hospital colleagues volunteered and the diplomatic corps offered support, Xiao Yan led her team in holding the line, Xiao Ning fought the epidemic in Wuhan's intensive care wards, and Lu Ze'an established international supply channels. Each member of the family fought side by side in their own way.
Through the Xiao family, the novel weaves together the worlds of hospitals, diplomacy, and family, recreating both the tension and warmth of the fight against the epidemic and showing the dedication of those who headed into danger, as well as the strength of loved ones who stood by one another.
