In the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, during the turbulent times, the Liulichang in old Beijing was still prosperous. Tong Fengquan (played by Zhang Guoli), the shopkeeper of Pangutang, is an old antique dealer who is good at making old antiques. However, there are too many scams and deceptions in this business. Even a shrewd man like Tong Fengquan can't escape the vicious circle of being set up and framed by others. Because of a Ru kiln three-legged box, two antique shops collapsed and people died. Tong also became a pauper with nothing. The great change of fate also drove him to have intersections with other people: Master Fan Wu (Zhang Tielin), a descendant of the Qing Dynasty, relied on his early experience to do some reselling in the antique business all day long. He took a fancy to Tong's antique craftsmanship and was even willing to marry his sister Mo He (Miao Pu) to Tong in order to get him to join the gang; Second Grandma Ru (Deng Jie) was driven out after the death of the old man. She made a living by selling the antiques she brought with her, and the distance between her and Tong gradually narrowed; because of a fake painting, Tong and Tianheju storekeeper Lan Yigui (Wang Gang) had a grudge. In this resurrected and chaotic world, the little people each staged their own tragedy and comedy of life...