In 2025, Zhao Guodong, a chief mechanical engineer, unexpectedly travels back in time to 1970 and finds himself inhabiting the body of Zhao Ergou, the laziest and most disreputable man in Zhao Family Village, a remote mountain village. Armed with the advanced knowledge from his previous life and unwavering determination, he begins as a so-called lazybones facing public criticism. Starting with the construction of the village's first threshing machine, he leads the villagers through major turning points of the era, including traditional iron smelting, technical competitions, reform and opening-up, and international competition. Ultimately, he transforms a poor mountain village into a global industrial giant, the legendary Hongxing Group.