The year is 1918. China has suffered a lot, wars have been raging, warlords have been separatist at home, and strong men have invaded from abroad. The fate of China is uncertain. In Changsha, Hunan, Mao Zedong (played by Bao Jianfeng), Cai Hesen (played by Tao Shuai), Xiao Zisheng (played by Qian Feng) and other passionate young people who are concerned about the country and the people organized the New Citizen Society to discuss the future of the motherland. In order to raise funds to study and work in France, Mao and his friends went north to Peking University to seek refuge with their mentor Yang Changji. Introduced by his mentor, Mao worked as a librarian at Peking University. During this period, he met cultural giants such as Gu Hongming, Chen Duxiu (played by Li Zixiong), and Li Dazhao (played by Shi Liang), and was exposed to Marxism, which changed his and even the fate of all of China. At the same time, Mao Zedong also wrote a love affair with Yang Changji's daughter Yang Kaihui (played by Zhou Dongyu) in troubled times...