The scholar Shen Yan's family is falsely accused of a crime and exiled to the frontier. With his mother seriously ill and his younger siblings starving, he puts aside his scholarly pride and turns to the humblest means of making a living. Through working with the soil, he discovers a method of producing fermented fertilizer. Facing pressure from corrupt officials, suppression by merchants, and rumors that his fertilizer is poisonous, he proves his innocence through experimental fields, restores barren farmland, and clears his family's name. In the end, he refuses to return to the capital, choosing instead to put down roots in the frontier. He turns an unremarkable livelihood into an agricultural legacy that benefits both the country and its people, while staying true to his family and his original ideals.