With a Buddhist sutra printed in gold lettering as the plot device, the series retells the rise, fall and rebirth of Dunhuang in three parts, each covering a different period in Chinese history: the Western Xia, the late Qing dynasty, and the Republican era.

Li asks Cao for permission to allow his army to pass through Dunhuang, so that he can help Meiduo take revenge by attacking the Kara-Khanid Khanate.

Cao senses Li's ill intentions so he secretly sends a messenger to the Song imperial court to ask for reinforcements.

However, the Song government is occupied with a war against the Liao dynasty, so they despatched Fang Tianyou, an artist from the Hanlin Academy, to resolve the crisis.

Cao Shunde's subordinates are already very displeased with their master for not resisting Li Yuanhao, so they turn against him and kill him in the ensuing battle.

Wangrong's search for Meiduo leads him to the Mogao Caves, where he starts ravaging the sacred grounds and slaughtering innocents.

He encounters a female bandit chief, Honglian, and his brother's lover Chunxia, who recovers from her mental illness after mistaking him for Qin Wenming.

Qin Wenyu concludes that the Buddhist sutra is an ancient artefact from Dunhuang and strongly believes that there is something hidden in the oasis city.

Qin Wenyu is steadfast in his belief that the manuscripts be retrieved so he urges Magistrate Yan to send his men to arrest the thieves.

Liang Moyan, a painter, and his wife Su Qingping, a sculptor, want to fulfil their dream of restoring the ancient city of Dunhuang.

However, their task is not going to be easy, as there are various opposing factors at hand: Dunhuang is in ruins due to a long history of tomb raiding and desecration; the couple run into trouble with bandits; the local residents are indifferent towards the idea of reviving Dunhuang; foreigners have also set their sights on the city; the government is inept and keeps shoving responsibilities around.

Liang Moyan and Su Qingping are unwilling to give up on their quest and they start preserving artefacts and rebuilding Dunhuang.

Despite his fiery passion for art, he was strongly influenced by militarism in his homeland, so he harbours prejudiced views against the Chinese people.

The personal struggles and reflections he went through eventually prompt him to overcome his hostility towards the Chinese and make a fresh start in life.