Born amidst the chaos of a crumbling Qing dynasty and the dismantling of the Confucian order, Bai Lang grapples for his place in a world in constant flux. Denied the traditional path of a Confucian scholar, he's captivated by thrilling stories of righteous bandits and champions of the common people. This fascination draws him to military service during Sun Yat-sen's revolution, but eventually compels him to become a formidable bandit himself known as the White Wolf. In the lawless plains of North China, Bai Lang chases an idealized past, a golden age that may have never been and certainly cannot coexist with the birth pangs of a modern China.

The Qing Dynasty crumbles and the Confucian order fades. Bai Lang, denied a scholar's path, finds solace in tales of righteous outlaws who fight for the people. He joins Sun Yat-sen's Republican revolution, but destiny leads him to become the White Wolf, a formidable bandit in lawless North China. Chasing a dream of a lost golden age, he clashes with the birth of modern China.