During the severe drought of 1972, Lin Yuan, an educated youth sent to the countryside, uses his geological knowledge to discover a source of fresh water. However, the brigade leader and his son maliciously seize it, frame him, and drive his entire family onto a barren mountain. Relying on his professional expertise and traditional machinery, Lin Yuan digs into the saline wasteland and uncovers a self-flowing spring containing tens of thousands of tons of fresh water. He saves the entire village from the drought and uses his precise map of underground water veins to help the whole county combat the disaster. His exceptional abilities earn him an unprecedented appointment as a state-employed water conservancy expert. Meanwhile, the corrupt father and son are exposed for withholding disaster relief supplies and abusing public resources for personal gain. Their property is confiscated, and they are reduced to forced laborers. Through sheer expertise, Lin Yuan stages a spectacular comeback, demonstrating the power of knowledge and the timeless truth that good is rewarded and evil punished.