The 12-episode series follows Wang Xiang, an ex-train driver who had worked his whole life at the steel plant in a fictional small town in North China, as he attempts to solve the mystery behind a brutal murder during the autumn of 1998. For more than 20 years, the murder has haunted him and other people who worked at the steel plant as they struggled to come to terms with the loss they’ve experienced.

"The children are still young", "It's the New Year", "It's not easy". ...... These four-character sayings are active in various scenarios of our daily life, and they express the Chinese people's habit of unconditional compromise and concession in the face of problems.