Poor Granny Liu rescues an injured golden toad, which rewards her with three gold coins, allowing her family to repay debts, repair their house, and buy an ox. Upon learning that the toad can spit gold, her son Dashun keeps it under the guise of filial piety, then imprisons it to force out gold, and even injures his mother by pushing her. The forcibly acquired gold coins gradually lose their efficacy, and Dashun, to evade accountability, abandons the toad in a mountain ditch. Herbal medicine assistant Zhao Shouyi rescues the toad, and Granny Liu no longer covers for her son. After the truth is uncovered, Dashun sells his fields and works to repay his debts, facing the temptation of huge wealth once again. Can he hold onto his conscience and regain the trust of his mother and the golden toad?