On the 478th day of providing medical aid in Lucaya , I just flew to a neighboring city to guide a resection surgery of a huge meningioma tumor for a patient with heart failure then rushed back to Lucaya where another major operation is waiting for me. Our mission here is twofold – first to save more lives under the harsh conditions and second is to teach them skills so that when we leave this land, the local doctors will still be able to provide the best treatment for patients. – A reflective thought from Luo Yunxi as the airplane soars through the sky.
At Friendship Hospital, there’s a flurry of activity as a patient with skull fractures and enophthalmos is rushed in for immediate care. Meanwhile, our protagonist, Leo Yun-Xi, is at Lacaya International Airport. He receives an urgent call informing him of the incoming patient’s condition. Without hesitation, he instructs the caller to begin surgical preparations while he makes his way to the hospital.
In a separate vignette, we see a woman meticulously handling a shipment. Our heroine, Zhang Ruonan, is busy managing the distribution of a number of packages.
Exiting the airport, Luo Yun-Xi finds himself in a bind; his own vehicle is caught in a traffic jam, and he’s desperate to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. In an unexpected turn of events, he opts for an unconventional mode of transport—a cart. As fate would have it, the two main characters cross paths, with Zhang Ruonan curiously pondering the sight of someone using such a primitive means of transportation at a small airport.
At the same time, Zhang Ruonan is engaged in a savvy business transaction.
She’s selling bottles of Moutai—a prestigious brand of Chinese liquor—at a steep price of $100 each. The buyers are initially skeptical, questioning the authenticity of the bottles due to the high price, considering Moutai is known to be more affordable in Lacaya. After a brief attempt to haggle the price down, they relent and purchase the bottles at her asking price. Zhang Ruonan’s entrepreneurial spirit pays off as she profits from Lacaya’s lower prices for Moutai.
Outside the hospital, Luo Yun Xi is seen anxiously reviewing CT scan images. The scans appear concerning, and his inability to secure a cab to the hospital only adds to his distress. As a neurosurgeon, he understands the gravity of the situation and instructs the medical team to proceed with the surgery if the patient’s GCS score decreases by another point, regardless of whether he has arrived.
At this moment, our lead actress emerges, pleased with her recent lucrative dealings.
She spots Luo Yunxi and offers him a deal: she can get him to the city center in under 50 minutes. Luo Yunxi, desperate to get to the hospital, agrees to the terms without even checking the mode of transportation and begrudgingly hands over $100. To his dismay, the vehicle in question is a bike. Taking off his sunglasses, he finds himself recognized by the leading lady who recalls him from one of his lectures, which causes her some unease.
Despite her reservations, she commits to the task and surprisingly gets him to the hospital quicker than expected. As Luo Yunxi prepares to dash into the hospital, she calls out to him. He turns, half-expecting her to demand more money, but instead, she intends to return the overcharged amount. With no time to spare, he rushes into the hospital, ready to attend to his duties without taking the changes back.
While Luo Yun Xi is immersed in surgery, our leading lady receives a call from a friend who’s expecting her return. The friend has arrived for a visit, prompted by her repeated unfulfilled promises to meet up. She’s been maintaining a facade of studying in Paris when, in reality, she’s in Lacaya. She urges her friend to keep this secret from her mother and suggests taking a shuttle bus, as she’s currently tied up with her alcohol deliveries.
Suddenly, there’s a crash—an accident, a vehicle collision. She races to the scene, where the traumatic memory of a similar accident that claimed her father’s life floods back. Compelled by the past, she steps in to help the injured. Recognizing the urgent symptoms, she confidently administers First Aid.
Back at the hospital, the patient on the operating table takes a turn for the worse. Dr. Gu, with skilled hands, manages to stabilize the situation.
Simultaneously, our leading lady, drawing on instinct and knowledge, performs an emergency procedure right there on the accident victim, skillfully drilling into the skull to alleviate pressure. She instructs bystanders to ensure the patient is transported to the hospital. In the chaos, her motorcycle and the alcohol she was delivering are stolen. The police arrive and, misunderstanding the situation, they take her into custody.
In the hospital, Dr. Gu chastises Fang Mingfan for his reluctance to take on his duties, leaving Fang feeling deeply embarrassed. As they’re talking, a nurse arrives with urgent news: Dr. Gu’s expertise is required in the ER immediately.
The accident victim has been brought in, and it turns out the driver was under the influence of alcohol.
Upon reviewing the CT scan, the medical team decides to move forward with surgery. They are shocked to discover that the individual who provided the initial first aid had managed to pinpoint the problem by feel alone. Fang Mingfan is astounded, under the impression that Lucaya possesses such a competent neurosurgeon. Dr. Gu, however, is skeptical, suggesting the possibility that the rescuer might just be a charlatan, but he concedes that whoever it was had a clear understanding of the task, even though the execution was somewhat unrefined.
Meanwhile, our leading lady finds herself in a cell. She attempts to negotiate with the police, learning that the evidence against her is compelling and that she will need to wait three days before she can appear in court to request bail. Utilizing her cunning, she manages to bribe the officers for access to a phone. She contacts her visiting friend and urgently explains her predicament, imploring her friend to reach out to the neurology department at Friendship Hospital. The patient she aided is there, and she needs to convince the neurosurgeon on duty to vouch for her actions in order to secure her release.
The friend of our leading lady arrives at Friendship Hospital, seeking Dr. Gu.
In her rush, she bumps into Fang Mingfan and quickly learns that he belongs to the Neurosurgery Department. Insistent, she persuades him to lead her to Dr. Gu. When Dr. Gu appears, she makes an earnest appeal for him to accompany her to the police station. At first, Dr. Gu declines, stating that it’s the police’s responsibility to uncover the truth. However, his curiosity is piqued when he learns the person in question is the man who had earlier performed the emergency skull drilling; he decides to go with her.
After Dr. Gu provides his testimony, he is taken aback to realize that this woman is the same one who had offered him a ride earlier. Grateful, she expresses her thanks. Dr. Gu is then hit by a wave of revelations: not only is she a medical student from Huaran University, but she also drove without a license, and to add to the surprise, she had actually dropped out of medical school—facts her friend hadn’t been aware of. Dr. Gu proceeds to sign for her release, and it comes to light that he is Dr. Gu Yunzheng from Huaran Hospital, who had once been her professor when she was in medical school.
In the midst of the situation, Dr. Gu’s memory is triggered by a similar incident from his past.
He recalls an accident where Dr. Su, then a student from Huaran Medical University, had adeptly administered first aid before sending the patient to the hospital. It becomes clear to him that the woman in question is Su Wei’an, a former student from the clinical medicine class of 2012, whom he remembers for her remarkable commitment to patient care over attending her exams. Learning of her dropout surprises him; he had envisioned her as a successful doctor. She offers an explanation, claiming financial constraints and a lack of interest in continuing her medical studies.
The police, meanwhile, demand a hefty fine of $1,000, but she manages to barter it down to $500. In the end, Dr. Gu finds himself covering the cost, as both she and her friend are short on cash. As he settles the fine, he cautions her sternly against engaging in such unauthorized medical interventions in the future, warning that he may not be there to rescue her next time. With that, he departs from the police station.
At a restaurant, Su Wei’an is immersed in negotiations, trying to recover the stolen alcohol intended for a certain General, while her friend expresses frustration over being neglected. The friend probes about any potential romantic feelings Su Wei’an might have, but Su Wei’an is preoccupied with the current predicament involving the General. Skeptical of the excuse about financial hurdles in the medical profession, her friend presses for the truth behind Su Wei’an’s abrupt departure to Lucaya instead of studying in Paris as she had claimed. She questions if the real reason was related to the essay incident or her father’s tragic accident, offering her support regardless of the past. The friend lays out an ultimatum: return to China with her or remain in Lucaya, revealing she has quit her job for this purpose.
Meanwhile, Su Wei’an manages to secure some Moutai to appease the General, who insists on having authentic liquor and not something from a duty-free shop. Their urgency escalates when they witness the General’s men breaking into Su Wei’an’s residence in retaliation for the disrupted banquet, with orders to bring her to him on sight. With no safe haven, her friend suggests spending the night at the hospital. Su Wei’an considers facing the General instead, but her friend advocates for taking a job as a French interpreter. As they stand in front of the hospital , Amidst this tense discussion, Dr. Gu walks in and inadvertently eavesdrops on their conversation.