Set during the Northern Song Dynasty, the story follows Zhao Pan'er, a woman who runs a tea house in Qiantang. After being abandoned by her fiancé, Ouyang Xu, who has recently passed the imperial examinations and seeks to marry into a noble family, she travels to the capital city of Bianjing to confront him. Along the way, she rescues her two sisters: Sun Sanniang, who attempted suicide due to a failed marriage, and Song Yinzhang, who was trapped in an abusive relationship. Upon arriving in the capital, the three women decide to stay and build a new life for themselves. Despite facing societal prejudice against their backgrounds as commoners and former entertainers, they transform a small tea house into the most successful restaurant in Bianjing. As they navigate the complexities of the imperial court and the rigid social hierarchy, they find unexpected support from Gu Qianfan, a high-ranking official of the imperial intelligence agency, leading to a tale of resilience, female empowerment, and romance.