In the late 1980s in a rural area in Northeast China, the fierce female butcher Wang Yaoyao rescues the scholar Zhou Wenyuan, who has faced a cancelled engagement and is struggling to get by while taking care of his younger siblings. The two register their marriage and become husband and wife. Relying on making red sausages for a living, the couple protects their younger siblings while fighting against malicious relatives, scheming former lovers, and a domineering brigade leader. Having weathered hardships, calculations, and separation crises, the two support each other and break through heavy oppressions. In the end, the bully is brought to justice, and the family finally heads to the provincial capital to start a new life.