The novel takes Gao Ma and Hefang's accidental involvement in the garlic shoot incident as the clue of plot development. At first, the relationship between Gao Ma and Fang Jinju, a demobilized soldier, was opposed by Fang Jia. In order to marry Fang Yijun, the eldest son who is in his forties and has a disabled leg, he signed an exchange agreement with Liu and Cao. Fang Jinju, 20, will marry Liu Shengli, 45, who suffers from bronchitis. Gao Ma used the marriage law as a weapon to argue with Fang's family and was beaten. Gao Ma went to the village to complain and was beaten by Yang's assistant, because Yang's assistant was a relative of the relative change. Later, Gao Ma eloped with Jin Ju and was arrested. They were beaten by Uncle Fang, and pregnant Jin Ju was forced to hang herself. All kinds of experiences make Gao Ma full of hatred for everything in reality. In the young garlic shoot incident, Gao successfully participated in it and shouted slogans, adding fuel to the fire. After being arrested, he replied "I hate you" and refused to defend him. While serving his sentence, he was completely desperate after hearing the news that the Fang brothers betrayed Jin Ju's remains and married into the Cao family, and was killed while trying to escape from prison.

On the way to sell young garlic shoots with an ox cart, Uncle Fang was hit by the car of the secretary of the township party committee, causing the car to be destroyed and people to die. Not only did Fang Shu not get reasonable compensation after his death, but he was suppressed by the government. Aunt Fang's pent-up anger broke out and set the county government on fire, muttering, "Old man, I have avenged you." It can be seen that Aunt Fang was involved in the incident because Uncle Fang was not treated fairly after being crushed, and the resentment in her heart was venting. When she was sick in her cell and didn't get proper treatment, she went home after being released on medical parole. Because her two sons sold Jin Ju's body to the Cao family, Aunt Fang was very angry and hanged herself.

Gao Yang is kind, timid, docile, submit to humiliation in the face of power, and is a lamb that is trampled on by others. A tall sheep is also a lamb. She drove the donkey cart to the county seat to sell young garlic shoots, and all kinds of taxes and fines were forcibly levied along the way. She managed to get to the purchase point of young garlic shoots, but she heard the notice that the cold storage was full and the purchase was stopped. Gao Ma needs a bride price, and Fang Jia wants to marry her eldest son. Gao Yang's wife just gave birth to a son, and they all need to sell young garlic shoots for a living. The county stopped buying, and foreigners were not allowed to buy, which led to a large number of rotten garlic shoots, which was equivalent to breaking the livelihood of farmers. Agricultural tax, retention fee, urban construction tax, market management fee, meter inspection fee, traffic control, environmental protection, health and other fees and fines were forcibly levied before the sale of garlic shoots, and garlic shoots were used as collateral without money, which led to farmers' complaints and boiling public grievances. Dissatisfied farmers went to the county government to petition, but the county magistrate was not present at this time, which eventually intensified the contradiction and led to the garlic shoot incident in the sky.