In a small town in northern Jiangsu in the 1990s, Lin Jiang devotes himself to mastering the art of Cantonese-style roasted and braised meats, painstakingly running a business with his partners. Unexpectedly, his cousin secretly conspires with the family to sell off the business he spent ten years building together without his consent. His materialistic younger siblings mock him coldly, and even his girlfriend resolutely leaves him when he falls on hard times. With nowhere else to turn, Lin Jiang takes his secret aged-marinade recipe south to Lancheng to make a living. Relying on his solid culinary skills, he establishes himself, overcomes the malicious schemes of his competitors, and fights his way from a small shop owner to a tycoon in the food industry. When he returns home in glory for his grandmother's seventieth birthday, he punishes the wicked, protects his loved ones, and finally marries his beloved Xiao Fang. With nothing but a pot of aged marinade, he defies the odds and rises to the top.