The drama opens in 1955. Xu Hui Zhen lost her husband not long after their marriage and is now running a little tavern that she inherited. No matter what difficulties come her way, the socialist transformation of capitalist enterprises, the Great Leap Forward, natural disasters, the Cultural Revolution and many more, Hui Zhen remains true to herself and her philosophy of how to manage the tavern. When the economic reforms are eventually introduced, Hui Zhen and her tavern bear the fruits of her hard work and her unchanging belief in her values.