Introduction to the plot of That Distant Place:
Early 1970s. The Kunlun Military Region came to the school to recruit soldiers. Yuan Ying, Ding Haotian, Lü Qiang, and Fang Yang, four good friends, all signed up. Yuan Ying's parents, Yuan Yousheng and Cuilian, opposed Yuan Ying's enlistment in the army. Unwilling to give up, Yuan Ying hitched a ride to catch up with the troops and found Wei Tieshu. Wei Tieshu and Yuan Yousheng were once partners in a border defense company. In a battle to eliminate rebel infiltrators, Yuan Yousheng was injured and lost his ability to have children while covering for Wei Tieshu. Wei Tieshu gave his newly born daughter to Yuan Yousheng who had transferred back home, promising never to meet his daughter again.