Liu Chuan, a porcupine farmer, partners with his uncle Lin Dah uai, bringing his technical expertise to their venture. They agree to split the profits fifty-fifty, but after a bumper harvest, Liu Chuan is dismissed with only 30,000 yuan as compensation for his hard work. His uncle monopolizes resources and suppresses him at every turn. Taking his fiancée Xiu'er with him, Liu Chuan heads to Black Wind Ridge, a bitterly cold, barren mountain that everyone avoids. With his own funds, he digs underground pits and builds insulated pig sheds, overcoming crisis after crisis with wild mountain forage, traditional fermented feed, and herbal disease prevention. Using his ecological farming techniques, he secures a long-term contract with restaurants in the provincial capital and leads the establishment of a cooperative that helps farmers throughout the town become prosperous. After falling on hard times, his once-arrogant uncle joins the cooperative, while Liu Chuan and Xiu'er put down roots on the barren mountain, marry, and forge a path to prosperity through ecological farming.