Zhang Neng Liang is a fuerdai (second generation rich) who fails the university entrance exams and joins the People’s Liberation Army as a member of the tank crew. Squad leader Niu Nul Li comes from a rural village, and missed out on a place in the military academy twice due to Zhang Neng Liang. They start off on the wrong foot, though eventually become fast friends after being allocated to the same team. The pair are joined by sole female crew member Ye Xiao Meng, an earnest tomboy who becomes the army’s first female tank driver.