It was a windy winter’s day more than fifty years ago. Several young people who just graduated from middle school came to Chunshu Hill on the Loess Plateau. Here, they cleared wasteland, built terraced fields, constructed a school, taught children history, and lent their best clothes to local people so they could wear on their wedding days. They learned to cook yams and make sour soup, and fell in love with shaojiu (a Chinese distilled liquor) and Saozi noodles. They read Balzac on rainy days and studied physics in the cave. These small things gave them comfort and hope in an era when almost everyone was confused and suffering from hunger and poverty. These well-educated youth were touched by the kindness of the villagers. The vast awe-inspiring plateau also made them realize the insignificance of human beings in the course of eternity.
Through authentic portrayal in northern Shaanxi dialect, the book gives readers a strong emotional connection to the land, people and customs in the northern Shaanxi.