After unexpectedly becoming wealthy, Chen Xiangdong only discovers shortly before his death in old age that his wife and daughter had long since died because of the miserable life he had led. When he opens his eyes again, he has returned to a freezing winter night in 1982. His wife is holding their feverish daughter and preparing to leave, while creditors are already at their door. Determined to make up for everything he did wrong in his previous life, Chen Xiangdong starts with a broken radio, a bowl of hot noodle soup, and an abandoned fishpond. He leads his wife, daughter, and fellow villagers toward a better life, but gradually becomes entangled in a series of traps laid by village bullies, unscrupulous businessmen, a cannery factory director, and a supply-and-marketing cooperative manager. This time, he doesn't want immense wealth. All he wants is to have his wife and daughter at home, with a hot meal waiting for him when he returns.