A story about a group of intellectuals on a mission to protect priceless treasures in order to preserve their national heritage. After the Mukden Incident on September 18, 1931, North China was pushed to a desperate situation. Ren Hongyi (Liu Ye), a Kuomintang military officer, and Zhou Ruosi (Yuan Shanshan) who works at the cultural section of the Forbidden City are given the task of safely transporting national treasures further South to ensure that they do not fall into the wrong hands. No matter the challenges they face, they hold on to the belief that as long as its cultural roots remain, China will not fall.