Wu Ling-fan and his parents, from Chiaying in Kwangtung province, were among the first settlers in Taiwan. After his parents died, Wu was sold to the Fusheng Dyeing Mill as a slave to pay for his father's funeral expenses. There, he won the heart of the owner's daughter, Chiang Wan, and they eloped to start a mineral exploration project in Shihweichiang.
這個虛構的故事，從廣東嘉應州人吳霖芳和父母移居台灣寫起：吳霖芳先遭母喪，父親又醉死溪畔，為了葬父，吳霖芳賣身在福生染坊做苦工，博得老闆千金江婉的青睞，雙雙私奔到番界石圍牆開墾，並發現了石油。