Zhang Xiulian, a seventy-four-year-old woman, dies a slow and agonizing death from a bowel obstruction caused by colon cancer, having been neglected by her three sons who refused to pay for her medical care or burial. Her youngest daughter, Zhao Pingping, is the only one who shows filial devotion, while the sons, Zhao Wen, Zhao Ming, and Zhao Guang, are revealed to be selfish and cruel, having exploited their mother throughout her life. After her death, Zhang Xiulian’s spirit lingers, filled with regret for her past favoritism toward her sons and neglect of her daughters, particularly her eldest daughter Zhao Lili, who committed suicide by jumping into a well after being forced into an unwanted marriage. Determined to correct her mistakes, Zhang Xiulian is reborn into her forty-nine-year-old body on the exact day her eldest daughter attempted suicide.
Upon waking, Zhang Xiulian immediately intervenes to save Zhao Lili from the well, confronting her abusive husband Zhao Debao and tyrannical mother-in-law, Liu Dani. For the first time in her life, she fights back physically, kicking her husband and throwing her mother-in-law aside, shocking her family who were accustomed to her silence and submission. She protects Zhao Lili from being sold into marriage to the village chief’s son to fund her brother’s wedding, firmly rejecting the arrangement when Li Meixia, the village chief’s wife, comes to demand answers. Zhang Xiulian also disciplines her youngest son, Zhao Guang, who had been spoiled and abusive toward his sister, punishing him for hitting Zhao Pingping and framing her for stealing his dictionary.
The story follows Zhang Xiulian as she systematically changes the dynamics of her household. She stops prioritizing her sons and daughters-in-law over her daughters, ensuring that Zhao Lili and Zhao Pingping are fed properly, dressed in new clothes, and treated with love and respect. She takes Zhao Lili to town, buys her new clothes, and supports her relationship with Wang Qiang, a kind young man who had helped her in her previous life. Meanwhile, she confronts the patriarchal and abusive behaviors of her husband and mother-in-law, refusing to be bullied any longer. Liu Dani attempts to manipulate the family against Zhang Xiulian, but her schemes are thwarted by Zhang Xiulian’s newfound assertiveness. The narrative highlights Zhang Xiulian’s transformation from a self-sacrificing, submissive wife and mother into a fierce protector of her daughters, as she seeks to redeem herself for the past life’s failures and ensure a better future for her children.
