Her mother dies after her bound feet are infected, and the siblings are sent to live with their paternal grandparents in their large compound, the Mansion of Golden Light.

Yunxian also forms a close friendship with Meiling Shi, the daughter of a local midwife, and is betrothed to Yang Maoren, the son of a prominent merchant family.

Yunxian falls ill and is cared for by her natal family; Grandfather Tan also negotiates for better treatment for her in exchange for imperial connections for Maoren.

The family is visited by a high-ranking official from Beijing, whose wife Lady Liu and mother Widow Bao have heard of Yunxian's reputation as a woman doctor.

As she recovers on the journey home, Meiling confides that she had stolen a formula prescribed for Yunxian by Doctor Wong, supposedly to have a successful birth.

The women arrive back in Wuxi to find that a smallpox outbreak has ravaged the city, with several members of the Yang family being affected.

Entrusting her son's care to Lady Kuo, Yunxian manages to save several lives with the aid of Miss Chou and Grandmother Ru.

Several years later, a middle-aged Yunxian, now a respected physician, attends a festival alongside the Yang clan, Meiling and her son, and her natal family.