Lin Miaoyin, a woman from the modern era, dies and transmigrates into a novel set in 1970s rural China. She awakens in the body of a woman with the same name, who is in the middle of a violent confrontation with her husband, Meng Yuanzheng, and his mistress, Zhang Hui. In the original story, the original Lin Miaoyin was a naive, foolish woman who married Meng Yuanzheng after he deceived her with sweet words. Meng Yuanzheng, an educated youth from the city, used his wife's father, the production team leader, to secure a teaching position. He despised his wife for her lack of sophistication and eventually abandoned her for the novel's female protagonist after returning to the city. In this current scene, Lin Miaoyin, aware of the plot and her husband's true villainous nature, refuses to play the role of the weeping, forgiving wife. Instead, she physically attacks Zhang Hui and drags her toward the brigade secretary to report the affair. During the struggle, Meng Yuanzheng and Zhang Hui push Lin Miaoyin into a pond. She falls unconscious and wakes up to find she has been rescued by her brother-in-law.
Upon regaining consciousness, Lin Miaoyin realizes she has traveled into the book. She resolves not to follow the original owner's tragic fate. She understands that Meng Yuanzheng is a selfish, cowardly, and lecherous man who will eventually leave her when he gains the opportunity to return to the city. Determined to survive and thrive, she decides she must divorce him as soon as possible. However, her first obstacle is her own family. Her parents and sister-in-law, influenced by the feudal mindsets of the era, urge her to forgive Meng Yuanzheng because he saved her life and because divorced women face social stigma. Lin Miaoyin argues that his actions were improper and that the law supports monogamy, but her family remains unmoved. She learns that because Meng Yuanzheng saved her, the brigade secretary decided not to punish him severely, while Zhang Hui was taken by the police.
Lin Miaoyin attempts to enforce a separation, demanding that Meng Yuanzheng earn his own keep and cook his own meals. To her surprise, Meng Yuanzheng does not argue or display his usual arrogance. Instead, he begins acting strangely submissive and helpful. He fetches water, repairs their leaking roof, and prepares hot water for her bath. Lin Miaoyin is suspicious, believing he is pretending to have amnesia from the drowning to win her sympathy. She warns him that if he is lying, she will make his life difficult by having her father force him to do excessive labor. Despite her hostility, Meng Yuanzheng insists he does not want a divorce and claims he will take her with him when he returns to the city. Lin Miaoyin dismisses this as another manipulative tactic.
The narrative shifts when a new group of educated youths arrives at the brigade. Lin Miaoyin recognizes the arrival of the original female protagonist, Zhu Wanqin, and fears the original plot will resume. She tries to steer Meng Yuanzheng away from Zhu Wanqin, hoping to match him with another female educated youth to facilitate her own divorce. However, events take an unexpected turn when Meng Yuanzheng is accused of murdering an elderly villager, Old Man Liu. The man's family claims that Meng Yuanzheng's chest compressions caused his death. Lin Miaoyin, using her knowledge of rigor mortis and first aid, deduces that Old Man Liu had been dead for hours before they arrived. She exposes the Liu family's greed, revealing that they had abandoned their dying father to die outside to avoid bad luck and were attempting to extort money from Meng Yuanzheng. Zhu Wanqin arrives and testifies in Meng Yuanzheng's favor, but her behavior is also altered; she shows affection toward Meng Yuanzheng rather than the original male protagonist. Lin Miaoyin realizes the butterfly effect of her presence has changed the story significantly. She takes the medicine Zhu Wanqin offers for Meng Yuanzheng's injuries, asserting her role as his wife while secretly plotting to escape the marriage.
