It re-tells the events in the late Han dynasty and Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history, with the story largely revolving around the many exploits of a young Sima Yi.
While the milestone events were left relatively untouched (e.g. outcomes of major battles, death of certain characters), many finer details were changed and largely dramatized.
Other characters such as Liu Bei, Zhao Yun, Zhang Fei, Diaochan and Lü Bu are also portrayed differently from historical accounts and popular conception.
The plot puts a good deal of focus on the politics and warfare of the Three Kingdoms period, as such one of the main attraction of the series are the associated mind games, military strategies and tactics.
However, Chan Mou also regularly zooms in on the personal developments of the main protagonists, detailing their dynamic responses and attitudes to the events unfolding around them.
The Ravages of Time is currently serialized in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan, with compiled volumes published in Mainland China, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore as well.
As the story progresses, Sima Yi and Liaoyuan Huo are reluctantly drawn into the wars of the late Han dynasty period.
The story also centers on another eight characters, the "Eight Enigmas" (八奇), a group of elite military strategists trained by Sima Hui, who is also known as Shuijing (水鏡).
For example, Zhang Fei, traditionally depicted as a bearded chubby man, is portrayed as an artist who painted his face to resemble a Chinese opera mask.
Some characters have different hair colour, weird hairstyles, tattoos, facial markings, clothing and equipment more akin to that of other genres, such as fantasy and wuxia.
The story of The Ravages of Time revolves around battles in the late Han dynasty and Three Kingdoms era, military doctrines, mind games, ethics and philosophy.
In addition, the tactic of faking death and letting opponents believe that the assassination attempt has succeeded is also used and is often used by Sun Ce and Lü Bu in particular.
Zhuge Liang and Xun Yu opposed this line of thinking, maintaining the peace and order brought by adhering to the traditional teachings and through just and benevolent means lasts longer.
Lü Bu openly showed disdain for them on a couple of occasions, especially during the Battle of Puyang, and in volume 27 in the duel against Guan Yu.
In another occasion, a court historian is invited by Chen Gong in order to dramatize Lü Bu's status as a god of war.