Su Qiu, a financially independent woman from the modern era, begins experiencing recurring nightmares of a starving, shivering girl who resembles her. Suspecting an impending apocalypse, she stockpiles vast quantities of food, medicine, and supplies in her villa basement. During this process, she discovers a supernatural dimension space that preserves freshness indefinitely. After organizing her resources, she falls asleep and transmigrates into the body of an eighteen-year-old girl named Su Qiu in 1975 China.
The original owner was the second daughter of the Su family, raised after her biological mother’s death. Her father, Su Jiazhong, remarried Liu Xiangyu, who brought her own children, Su Ting and Su Baoming. The stepmother and father exploited the original Su Qiu, forcing her to hand over her wages, confine her to a tiny balcony room, and perform all household labor. When the stepmother secretly signed Su Qiu up for the Educated Youth movement to send her to the countryside, replacing her with her own daughter Su Ting, the original owner died of despair. Su Qiu inherits this body and immediately confronts her father, demanding compensation for her stolen wages and job.
Refusing to accept the family’s meager offer, Su Qiu takes matters into her own hands. She registers her younger sister Su Ting for the countryside program as well, ensuring the stepmother’s favorite daughter faces the same hardship. When Su Baoming attacks her, Su Qiu kicks him, causing him serious injury. The stepmother’s relatives arrive to assault her, but Su Qiu escapes to the Public Security Bureau, where she fabricates a story of abuse and self-defense. The police investigate and confirm her claims of neglect. Under pressure, Su Jiazhong and Liu Xiangyu are forced to pay her six hundred yuan, which Su Qiu collects before cutting ties with her family.
Su Qiu departs for Heilongjiang Province with her elder sister Su Li, who provides her with warm clothing and food. On the train, Su Qiu encounters a suspicious man, Niu Dali, who is stealing from other passengers. Recognizing him from a prior incident, she discreetly alerts a train attendant, leading to his arrest and the recovery of stolen goods. She receives a reward for her cooperation.
Upon arrival at Honghe Village, Su Qiu and four other Educated Youth are picked up by Production Team Leader Liu Yong. Su Qiu’s malnourished appearance draws criticism, but Wei Ye, a quiet young man with a military background, intervenes on her behalf, arguing that she should be accepted. Su Qiu is assigned to the Educated Youth Station, where she meets other city youths. Despite the harsh living conditions and physical exhaustion, Su Qiu remains calm, relying on her dimension space for food and comfort. She observes the dynamics among the new arrivals and the local villagers, preparing to navigate her new life in the countryside while maintaining her independence from her former family.
