It follows the people of Lin County as they build the Red Flag Canal to remedy the water shortage problem that has plagued them for generations. In the summer and autumn season of 1959, Lin County suffered from a severe drought. Rivers, ponds and reservoirs dried up, crops withered leaving the people and livestock with no source of food and water. Under the leadership of the party secretary Yang Gui, a group of Linxian committee members are determined to get out of their long-time predicament. Thus, the project to build the Red Flag Canal was born.
