The Guilty

A body is buried beneath a lighthouse in 1999 and a secret is sealed. Eleven years later, ex-con Ma Derong returns to Nanping just as Xia Xue’s daughter Hou Shanshan is kidnapped. Debt collector Lu Ming uncovers chilling evidence linking Ma Derong to the crime — but the suspected kidnapper is found dead.

As panic spreads, Lu Ming suspects Ma Derong is behind Shanshan’s disappearance. Flashbacks reveal Lu Ming, Xia Xue, and Lin Hua’s close friendship and their violent clash with Ma Derong’s son, Ma Ke, that changed everything.

Shanshan’s case escalates into a murder investigation, putting Lu Ming under police scrutiny. A dark truth surfaces: years earlier, Ma Ke assaulted Xia Xue and died during a confrontation. The trio made a desperate choice to bury the truth.

After a deadly factory explosion conveniently lists Ma Ke among the victims, the friends attempt to hide his true cause of death. But Ma Derong senses something is wrong and begins digging into the past.

A hidden videotape resurfaces, and blackmail forces Lu Ming into life-threatening work to buy silence. As debts mount and pressure builds, Lu Ming proposes to Xia Xue — unaware their fragile future is about to shatter.

When Ma Derong discovers the truth about his son’s death, he retaliates brutally. Xia Xue claims she is pregnant with Ma Ke’s child to save Lu Ming’s life — sacrificing her freedom in the process.