During the reign of the Long Qing Emperor in the Ming Dynasty (the mid-1500s), Lin Shao Chun is the daughter of a once-powerful government official. After being accused of embezzlement and corruption, her father — and the rest of the family — fall from grace. In an attempt to make ends meet, she joins a troupe of travelling performers where she meets Sun Yu Lou, the heir of a rich family. He falls in love with Lin Shao Chun at first sight. But she has no intention of remaining in the performing troupe; she intends to avenge those who wronged her family. She plans to join the civil service and disguises herself as a man in order to take the necessary examinations.

Although at first his family vehemently opposes it, Sun Yu Lou resolves to help her. The duo begins to form a close bond and eventually marry. However, when she discovers that a member of her husband’s family may have played a role in her own family’s fall, Lin Shao Chun finds herself at a crossroads.