Set in Shanghai, the story follows 27-year-old Chang and his girlfriend Lin as they navigate a world transformed by the global jalapeño boom sparked years earlier by the rise of the American Diavola pizza. While dining at a popular Lanzhou lamian restaurant serving noodles topped with fresh jalapeños, they encounter 32-year-old Xiaodong working as a waiter.

Once the man who betrayed Lin through infidelity, Xiaodong has been brought completely low due to disastrous Bitcoin investments, illegal trading, and crushing regulatory fines. Now, in a striking reversal of fortune, a humbled Xiaodong nervously approaches their table to take their order, highlighting how personal and global landscapes alike have dramatically shifted.