Set in the spring of 1913, the story follows Suri, the nephew of Prince Pu Wei, who becomes entangled in a failed plot to assassinate Yuan Shikai after the murder of revolutionary leader Song Shuren. Branded a traitor by both the ruling power and the Revolutionary Party, Suri is forced to flee.

Wounded and on the run, he is rescued by a hunter’s daughter, Zuo Xiaomei, and assumes a new identity as Zuo Tianyi. Despite their help, Yuan Shikai’s forces continue to pursue him. After escaping to Qingdao, then under German control, Zuo Tianyi is captured and forced into labor constructing a military fortress. Refusing to serve foreign occupiers, he plans an escape but is caught and sentenced to death.

At the last moment, Prince Pu Wei recognizes him and saves his life, entering him into a high-stakes horse race to defend the honor of the Qing Dynasty. There, Zuo Tianyi faces off against the elite jockey Zuo Tianliang in a thrilling contest that turns the Qingdao racetrack into a battlefield of fate and resistance.