In 1977, childhood friends Yang Chunxue and Liang Maicha dream of taking college exams together, but Chunxue is forced into marriage due to a family crisis, prompting Maicha to leave home. After enduring hardship and divorce, Chunxue finds a new beginning by starting a sewing business in her village, while Maicha returns with brick-making skills to revive the local kiln. Together, they transform their poor village into a provincial model of economic growth.