Lin Jianguo, a young man from the countryside, and Zhou Xiaomei have been in love for years. When they begin discussing marriage, Xiaomei's mother, Zhou Xiuying, demands a hefty bride price. The Lin family is struggling financially, and Lin Jianguo's father, Lin Dashan, becomes seriously ill from overwork while trying to raise the money. Unable to pay the full amount upfront, Jianguo proposes using an IOU agreement to fulfill his promise to pay the bride price, but Zhou Xiuying strongly objects, and the dispute ignites tensions between the two families. Torn between family ties and love, Xiaomei struggles painfully and stops blindly obeying her mother. Refusing to let the bride price dictate their future, the couple resolve to change their fate through hard work by leasing and cultivating barren land in harsh conditions. Their entrepreneurial journey brings one challenge after another, including a lack of funds, natural disasters, pests, and criticism from their neighbors. The two generations clash fiercely over their differing values.