On the eve of the 1911 Revolution, the Duan Muhai is making preparations for the fire festival. Duan Muhai is the owner of the Nanshan Manor and is very wealthy through looting people's wealth. Aiyue is his favorite daughter, and she is bright and intelligent, empathetic towards others while being very clear on the lines of love and hate, unlike the other family members. Her servant A Ci is silly, and she likes to dance with a bamboo pole and smoke box at all hours of the day and sing folk songs. At the yearly fire festival, a handsome, bright young fellow named Liu Bo'en and his friend Long Chulai arrive and meet with Aiyue and A Ci. Aiyue gradually falls for Bo'en, but she is too proud to reveal her feelings. A Ci takes advantage of the situation since she is passionately in love with Bo'en. Long Chulai admires Aiyue, but because of his ugly looks, he keeps it to himself and feels he can only secretly love Aiyue. As the 1911 Revolution erupts and Muhai's family falls on hard times, Bo'en is assigned to Beijing, and Aiyue is forced to fulfill a childhood marriage contract - then sold by her heartless husband to a notorious opium lord. The ruthless Wang Kun, however, is moved by Aiyue's Sandao tea, and he finances Aiyue's tea garden. (Source: Wikipedia)