In 1997, in the small southwestern Chinese town of Wugang, Chen Shan's family lived in a residential building provided by the local petroleum unit. His father, Chen Fu, was the top leader of a pipeline construction project, his mother, Zhang Wen Ying, was a key designer at the petroleum design institute, and his older sister, Chen Ying, worked in the archive room of the supply station. The family lived in harmony, and Chen Shan was set to follow in his parents’ footsteps and join the petroleum system. But an unexpected accident — a gas pipeline explosion — changed the course of all their lives. Chen Fu died in the explosion, and Zhang Wen Ying became a casualty of the internal power struggles within the petroleum system. Unable to cope with the trauma, Chen Shan left home and took a job on an emergency repair crew to make a living. By 2001, the southwestern petroleum system had boarded the fast train of economic growth, and families across the region were enjoying a middle-class lifestyle. Chen Shan had become the head of a construction crew, known as "Brother Shan", but lived like a ghost, stuck in the past. Then, another gas explosion occurred. Geng Jian, the former director of the design institute who had lost out in the earlier factional battles, was once again implicated. Chen Shan decides to follow the current clues and reopen the investigation into the past accident — unaware of just how many people and hidden truths would come to light.
