Zhang Yue, a woman who lived through the turbulent Cultural Revolution and spent decades seeking justice for her murdered younger brother, dies in a hospital bed only to awaken in her sixteen-year-old body in 1968. She finds herself back in the small northern village of Xiaotai, where she lives with her eight-year-old brother, Zhang Lin. In her previous life, this was the day her peaceful existence shattered. After her parents died, the siblings were labeled as belonging to a landlord family, a designation that made them targets for the newly established Pigeon Committee in their town. The committee, led by a man seeking political advancement, harassed the siblings until the director's youngest son, Wang Dezhong, and his accomplices kidnapped Zhang Yue. During the struggle, Zhang Lin was pushed against a wall and killed. Devastated, Zhang Yue was forced to flee to a remote mountain village, where she survived by gathering wild herbs and eventually built a successful agricultural business. She spent her later years tracking down the man responsible for her brother's death, eventually securing his execution before dying with a sense of closure.
Reborn, Zhang Yue resolves to change her fate. She knows that the Pigeon Committee will not leave them alone and that staying in the village will lead to the same tragedy. Determined to protect Zhang Lin, she decides they must flee to Hong Kong. Her first step is to alter the events of that fateful day. Instead of waiting until afternoon to buy meat, she goes to the butcher shop in the morning. She also notices Wang Dezhong and his friends sneaking into the local middle school. Suspecting foul play, she follows them and discovers they are hiding a pistol and planning a human trafficking operation. That evening, she enlists the help of her cousin Zhang Hua, a skilled martial artist, and they infiltrate Wang Dezhong's home. They knock out the kidnappers and discover a cellar filled with unconscious victims, including two girls and a young man named Li Yizhi.
Li Yizhi, who had pretended to be unconscious, reveals his intelligence and calm demeanor. He helps Zhang Yue and Zhang Hua subdue the traffickers and rescue the victims. Li Yizhi uses his connections to ensure the police handle the case efficiently, leading to the arrest of the Pigeon Committee director and the dismantling of the trafficking ring. With the immediate threat neutralized, Zhang Yue prepares for her escape. She uses the money and valuables stolen from the traffickers, along with her family's hidden savings, to purchase rare medicinal herbs like ginseng and animal parts, which she plans to sell in Hong Kong for a substantial profit. She also recruits Zhang Hua and two of his cousins, the Bai brothers, for their hunting and combat skills. Before they can leave, Li Yizhi appears at their door, requesting that Zhang Yue take his younger brother, Li Yichen, with them to safety. Zhang Yue agrees, and the group prepares to embark on a dangerous journey south, aiming to cross the border into Hong Kong and start a new life away from the political turmoil of their homeland.
