Xue Hai, deputy highway station chief, is appointed first secretary of poor Jiangzi Village. His dedication earns villagers’ love, but a road contractor, angered by Xue’s quality control, frames him, leading to suspension. Villagers rally with a petition, and higher authorities clear his name. Xue returns to work tirelessly, but collapses from exhaustion and dies. The villagers, heartbroken, bid him a sorrowful farewell.