Chen Tao loses his job when his bookshop closes, then learns that his late father, Chen Guoliang, has left him an "inheritance". He hurries home, only for his mother to produce the "inheritance": a collection of stories handwritten by his father. As he reads, Chen Tao finds himself meeting his father in the past. To persuade his father to return to the reality of more than a decade ago, and to use the logic of time travel to change his own fate and his family's life, Chen Tao moves back and forth between reality and the world of the book. Through a series of adventures in that world, he gradually comes to understand his father's quiet, restrained care. After learning the truth about his father's death, Chen Tao tries to go back into the book to save him, but fails. At the last moment Chen Guoliang helps his son return to reality and encourages him to face life with courage. Reconciled with his father, Chen Tao regains his courage and returns to the city to pursue his dream.