窦胜雪(杨怡 饰)本是盐枭之女，无意中救了聂致远(马浚伟 饰)，却不知他原来是官家派来调查盐帮之探子。结果在致远的引路下，胜雪父亲(郭峰 饰)的盐帮被官兵杀过鸡犬不留。逃脱性命的胜雪独立支撑整个局面。 此时致远又再次出现，与胜雪再度相对，本来贩卖私盐是触犯王法，可是从胜雪口中，致远却发现平民此举实在是迫不得已，而且官盐交易内亦存著种种贪赃枉法。从这一点点盐，致远看到了天下百姓的困苦。

緝私營的聶致遠（馬浚偉飾）為剿滅鹽梟竇家寨，故意扮作落難秀才博取鹽梟之女竇勝雪（楊怡飾）的同情及收留，因而與竇勝雪建立了深厚的感情。某天官府突然派兵剿寨，在混亂之中竇勝雪身受重傷並與聶致遠及家人失散。幸得鹽商胡堅（郭鋒飾）之子胡亭軒（黃浩然飾）相救，並暫留胡府待找回雙親及聶致遠。但竇勝雪卻驚見父母的屍首被懸於城樓示眾，而站在樓頂大義凜然地告誡眾人不要販賣私鹽的官員，竟是令自己日夜牽腸掛肚的聶致遠。竇勝雪柔腸寸斷，且對聶致遠有徹骨之恨。

胡亭軒為助竇勝雪忘卻不快，安排她在胡府經營的鹽棧工作，而竇勝雪為報答胡亭軒救命之恩，不計勞苦為鹽棧出心出力。那段日子令胡亭軒對竇勝雪由憐生愛，卻礙於惡疾纏身，一直未敢表白。直至竇勝雪的二叔突然現身，暴露了竇勝雪的真正身份，胡亭軒為防家人報官竟向勝雪提親。

緝私營的聶致遠（馬浚偉飾）為剿滅鹽梟竇家寨，故意扮作落難秀才博取鹽梟之女竇勝雪（楊怡飾）的同情及收留，因而與竇勝雪建立了深厚的感情。某天官府突然派兵剿寨，在混亂之中竇勝雪身受重傷並與聶致遠及家人失散。幸得鹽商胡堅（郭鋒飾）之子胡亭軒（黃浩然飾）相救，並暫留胡府待找回雙親及聶致遠。但竇勝雪卻驚見父母的屍首被懸於城樓示眾，而站在樓頂大義凜然地告誡眾人不要販賣私鹽的官員，竟是令自己日夜牽腸掛肚的聶致遠。竇勝雪柔腸寸斷，且對聶致遠有徹骨之恨。

胡亭軒為助竇勝雪忘卻不快，安排她在胡府經營的鹽棧工作，而竇勝雪為報答胡亭軒救命之恩，不計勞苦為鹽棧出心出力。那段日子令胡亭軒對竇勝雪由憐生愛，卻礙於惡疾纏身，一直未敢表白。直至竇勝雪的二叔突然現身，暴露了竇勝雪的真正身份，胡亭軒為防家人報官竟向勝雪提親。

NIP CHI YUEN (Ma Steven), who works in the anti-smuggling camp, is determined to wipe out the Tau’s Fort, which is the stronghold for salt smugglers. He pretends to be a down-and-out scholar. TAU SING SUET (Yeung Yi), daughter of the chief smuggler, sympathizes with YUEN and puts him up in the village. Later, they even become fond of each other. During an anti-smuggling operation SUET is badly hurt and has since been separated from YUEN and her family. Fortunately she is saved by WU TING HIN (Wong Ho Yin), son of salt merchant WU KIN (Kwok Fung). HIN takes her home. One day, SUET is horrified to see the dead bodies of her parent being hung on the wall of the city tower, and that the official standing on the top of the tower telling the public not to sell smuggled salt is none other than the man she misses day and night. She is heartbroken, and her love for YUEN turns into hatred that moment on...