Shanghai, China, 1930. When young Shuisheng arrives from the countryside, his uncle Liushu puts him at the service of Bijou, the mistress of Laoda, supreme boss of the Tang Triad, constantly threatened by his enemies, both those he knows and those lurking in the shadows.

Tracing the fascinating, real-life saga of one of China's most revered composers, master storyteller Teng Wenji sweeps us into China's intellectual and artistic coming of age during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). As a young composer, Zhao Liming (Shao Bing) struggles with a constellation of opposing forces: personal ambitions vs. communal obligation, romantic love vs. loyal friendship, modern music vs. traditional.

Wen Shan is a mediocre screenwriter struggling to make a living in Beijing. Commercial projects are left undone, and his own stories fall by the wayside. He lives a stagnant life in a fast growing city. By chance, he begins to write eulogies for a living. He meets the families of the deceased, carefully observes, listens to the stories, and at last, puts pen to paper. As he restores the lives of others, he finds his own place in the city and finally realizes that ordinary people can take the center stage too.

Law student Yan Wengang, haunted by his zealotry during the Cultural Revolution, interns with comrades Wei Zekuan and Xia Chengyuan in the southern city of Wuzhou. When Yan defends defendant Zhao Dawei in a murder-robbery trial, he uncovers split opinions at court and, with Dean Wang and juror Li Mang’s help, secures evidence of Zhao’s innocence, only for Zhao to falsely confess. Disillusioned classmates make different career choices; Yan, undeterred, returns to Wuzhou to reopen Zhao’s case and finally fight for true justice.

Zhou Yi, a strong woman who serves as the CEO of a certain company, has another relationship with Tang Kai (played by Sun Chun), an ordinary employee in her company. The two are an unmarried couple who are about to enter the marriage hall. After the grand wedding, the pair of lovers finally tied the knot. Unexpectedly, the festive atmosphere has not yet dissipated, and all kinds of unimaginable and weird events will follow one after another.

The upsurge of going abroad has brought a large number of "left behind". Nai Qing is a "left behind lady" whose husband is far away in San Francisco.

The Chinese government launches a daring operation to arrest a violent drug cartel following the discovery of thirteen Chinese crew members' bodies on two ships sailing through the Mekong River.