Han Wan, a divorced woman from modern China, dies in a car accident after being struck by a truck on a mountain road. Her consciousness transfers into the body of another Han Wan, a young woman in an ancient Chinese setting who has just died from a head injury caused by a falling plastic water bottle. The original owner of this body was a mother of twin sons, Xie Dahu and Xie Erhu, who had been abandoned by her husband Xie Mingcheng after a scandal involving a premarital pregnancy. The deceased woman had entrusted Han Wan with caring for her children before passing away.
Han Wan buries the original owner and descends the mountain to Sanyang Village, where she assumes her new identity as the widow of a man who fled to fight at the border. She discovers she lives in a large courtyard with one hundred mu of land, but the household is controlled by two malicious servants, Old Ding and Old Woman Ding, who act as spies for the Pingxi Marquis Manor. These servants have been embezzling family funds, denying the children proper education and nutrition, and spreading rumors about Han Wan's reputation.
The twins, now five years old, are intelligent and protective of their mother. They reveal that Han Wan's maternal family, the Pingxi Marquis, adopted her but later used her as a pawn in a scheme to damage Xie Mingcheng's reputation. The original Han Wan had been drugged by the Marquis couple to sleep with Xie Mingcheng, who then fled to the border rather than marry her. Han Wan was cast out by the Xie family and sent to live alone in the village with her children.
Han Wan begins to reorganize her household, asserting authority over the servants and planning to reclaim control of her finances. She discovers she brought items from her previous life, including a backpack with food, a stun gun, seeds, and a phone. Her modern knowledge of pharmacology and medicine proves valuable, as she studies medical texts left by the original owner's teacher, Doctor Feng. She also learns that her loyal servant Uncle Chun Shan has been imprisoned for chopping off the hand of a man who harassed Han Wan, and he is currently recovering from illness in Yongzhou.
A significant event occurs when Han Wan's silk scarf, blown by wind from the mountain, lands at the Great Dharma Temple and is interpreted as a five-colored auspicious cloud, bringing fame to the temple's master. This incident provides Han Wan with a potential avenue to introduce her modern goods under the guise of heavenly gifts. She plans to sell items from her previous life, including seeds and cosmetics, to build wealth and eventually confront the Pingxi Marquis about the stolen dowry and the scheme against her.
Han Wan resolves to raise her sons to achieve great things, send them to school, and rebuild her life in this unfamiliar world. She maintains a close bond with the twins, guiding their education and moral development while navigating the complex social dynamics of the village and the lingering threats from her past.
