Yi An'an, a woman who died from AIDS in her modern rental room, awakens in her body on October 1, 1977, in rural China. This date marks the beginning of her tragic past life, where her stepmother, Wang Guihua, and half-brother, Yi Daping, drugged her with veterinary breeding medication and sold her to Yan Dabao, the village head's son, for a bride price of 200 yuan. Determined to escape the abuse and death that defined her previous existence, Yi An'an feigns unconsciousness during the transport. As the cart passes the ancestral hall during the Cold Clothes Festival, she seizes the opportunity to jump off and flee into the night. With no trust in her indifferent villagers, she runs toward the village's most despised location: a pigsty where Zhan Nanhui, a man labeled a "bad element" and capitalist lackey, is undergoing reformation.
Yi An'an bursts into the pigsty and collides with Zhan Nanhui, a tall, scarred, and cold man who has endured years of isolation and abuse. The drug's effects are beginning to cloud her judgment, but she uses the situation to her advantage. When Yan Dabao and his family arrive to drag her back, Yi An'an clings to Zhan Nanhui, declaring they are lovers and that she is pregnant. This bold lie shocks the villagers and forces the Yan family to back down to avoid scandal. Zhan Nanhui, initially reluctant and suspicious, realizes that Yi An'an's desperation is genuine. He agrees to a marriage of convenience, not out of affection, but because he sees an opportunity to use her household registration to gain eligibility for the upcoming college entrance exam, which he knows is being reinstated.
The couple obtains their marriage certificates and moves into a dilapidated shack near a river, the former home of a deceased dam keeper. Yi An'an takes charge of their survival, using her knowledge of future trends to start small businesses. She visits a scrap recycling station, trades her hairstyling skills for study materials, and discovers a copy of the "Math, Physics, and Chemistry Self-Study Series," a rare resource crucial for the exam. She also begins making and selling mops, earning enough money to buy meat and support Zhan Nanhui's studies. Meanwhile, she confronts her abusive family, standing up to her stepmother and brother, and secures her paralyzed father's cooperation by threatening to withhold his pension.
The central conflict intensifies as Zhan Nanhui's past resurfaces. Chen Sisi, a beautiful educated youth and Zhan Nanhui's former love interest, appears in the village. In Yi An'an's previous life, Chen Sisi was responsible for her daughter's death and her own suffering. Now, Chen Sisi attempts to reconnect with Zhan Nanhui, offering him a rare textbook in exchange for tutoring. Yi An'an witnesses this interaction and becomes jealous and suspicious, fearing Zhan Nanhui's loyalty. Despite her insecurities, she remains focused on their shared goal: Zhan Nanhui passing the exam so they can leave the village. The story follows their complex dynamic as they navigate political persecution, family hostility, and romantic tension, with Yi An'an determined to rewrite her fate and protect her new husband from the pitfalls of their harsh environment.
