A seaside young man, Chen Wang, accidentally encounters the bathing dragon girl Su Li and falls in love with her. He secretly hides the spirit wand that allows her to return to the Dragon Palace, causing Su Li to miss the water gate and be forced to stay in the mortal world, staying with him for eight years and giving birth to a pair of children. Years later, the spirit wand is accidentally found by the children, and Su Li takes the children back to the East China Sea. Full of remorse, Chen Wang breaks into the Dragon Palace with the help of the sea patrol envoy to seek redemption. After passing three trials of the inquiring heart, he finally wins Su Li's forgiveness and is permitted to stay in the Dragon Palace. Later, he is allowed to briefly return home to visit his mother, but due to an accident stepping on dust, he can never return to the East China Sea again, spending his remaining life sitting alone by the seaside, gazing far out at the sea.