The beautiful melon seller, Ye Liuxi, and the shadow puppet performer, Chang Dong, join forces to venture deep into the desert. One seeks to unravel the mystery of their origins, while the other aims to retrieve the remains of his deceased girlfriend. As they encounter numerous anomalies in the uninhabited area, they are led to the weathered Yumen Pass. They navigate between the Imperial Guards, Taoist Priests, and the Scorpion-Eyed, unraveling the truth amidst various enigmas, and gaining insights into true love through numerous life-and-death trials. The truth seems within reach, but they find themselves ensnared in an even larger conspiracy.

The story is set in the Song dynasty and at the beginning of the Jurchen-ruled Jin dynasty's invasion of northern China. The first part revolves around the friendship of two men, Yang Tiexin and Guo Xiaotian, who became heroes in their own right as they fought the Jin invaders. The bond between the duo is so strong that they pledge to each other that their unborn children will become either be sworn siblings (if both are of the same sex) or a married couple (if they are of opposite sexes). The story focuses on the trials and tribulations of their sons after Guo Xiaotian's death and Yang Tiexin's disappearance.

The son of the famous doctor Gu Feng in Qingyuantang pharmacy was accidentally drowned and Gu Feng’s mother blamed his death on their butler, Fang Cheng. Fang Cheng felt grudged, as his bastard Qiang Wei with his mistress named He Xiu has nowhere to foster her. He secretly substituted his daughter for Gu Feng’s daughter Ren Dong who was once fostered elsewhere. Qiang Wei was brought to Gu family and raised up in a well-off environment, while Ren Dong was raised by He Xiu in a poor family. After they grew up, Ren Dong accidentally got a job in Qingyuantang pharmacy and met with Han Chong, who suffered many hardships in his life. Her optimistic nature and medical talent had soon made her popular in the pharmacy.

After the September 18th Incident, Dong Bei was occupied by the Japanese enemy. Rong Shi (Jin Dong) knows that Japanese soldiers want kill the whole Xu family when Xu Yihang (Jiang Xin)’s wedding ceremony. He sent a messenger to tell Xu family this thing. But there is traitor in Xu family. So finally Japanese soldier still kill whole family. Three siblings embarked on a road of revenge from here.