A Battle of Equals

Huhang New City, a key hub for the integrated development strategy of the Yangtze River Delta, is struggling to find its way amid development opportunities and the pain of transformation. Mai Jiajun, the newly appointed Party Working Committee secretary, takes office with the sincere resolve to reform officialdom and support the city's development, but unexpectedly finds himself caught in a complex maelstrom of power struggles and competing interests.

An underground organization controls illicit industries, property developers collude with some officials to embezzle public resources, and a five-star hotel becomes a covert hub for deals in power and money. The forces involved are deeply entrenched and on the brink of open conflict. From the very beginning of his tenure, a succession of attacks follows: project approvals are blocked and public works grind to a halt. The anti-corruption reforms and new planning policies he champions strike directly at the core interests of established power groups.

Anonymous threats, smear campaigns,