The 12-episode series follows Wang Xiang, an ex-train driver who had worked his whole life at the steel plant in a fictional small town in North China, as he attempts to solve the mystery behind a brutal murder during the autumn of 1998. For more than 20 years, the murder has haunted him and other people who worked at the steel plant as they struggled to come to terms with the loss they’ve experienced.
Thirty years ago, Qiao Zu Wang and his wife welcomed their fifth child into the world. But what should have been a time of rejoicing soon turned into a period of overwhelming grief as Zu Wang’s wife slipped quietly from this world. Now left to raise his five children alone, Zu Wang’s true colors were revealed. Selfish and unfeeling, Zu Wang turned all of his focus inward, leaving his children to fend for themselves. Realizing his father would never be the man he ought to be, the eldest son, Yi Cheng, voluntarily stepped into the role of caretaker. Fully aware of the fact that they were now on their own, the younger Qiao siblings, Er Qiang, San Li, Si Mei, and Qi Qi, came alongside their big brother, willing to do whatever was necessary to keep their family together. Despite overwhelming odds, the Qiao siblings not only survived but thrived.