College graduate Lin Qichuan returns to his hometown and settles in a remote mountain village. He pays out of his own pocket to build roads and personally teaches villagers how to grow astragalus, determined to lift the village of Gougu out of poverty. Driven by greed, village chief Ma Youcai incites the entire village to demand exorbitant prices and betrays Lin by using his daughter to leak the purchasing contract. Heartbroken, Lin cuts ties with them and turns to secure medicinal herb orders from four neighboring villages, establishing a partnership with a pharmaceutical company worth a substantial sum.