ep. 1
During a night of horrendous thunder and heavy rain, Sa-guk Cheon from Segi Group calls Guk Lee and Dae-cheol Park from a moving vehicle. He hangs up the phone without saying a word.
He goes up to the 18th floor of Segi Group building and writes his last words to his family and counsels. He writes them in a humorous and comfortable manner. He leaves two letters titled ‘To my lovely wife’ and ‘To president Dae-suk Lim’. He slowly takes off his glasses, wrist watch, and shoes… All the people of Segi Group and even the prosecutors who investigated the political funds were bewildered by the death of Sa-guk Cheon.
Dae-cheol Park, a politician, recalls the hearing of Dae-cheol Park and Tae-san Cheon… Sa-guk Cheon and Guk-tae Kim the retainer, also the former CEO of Segi Group, run into each other at a prosecutor’s investigation office. Their dispute shows the ambition of Segi Group.
ep. 2
At the funeral of Sa-guk Cheon, people from the press compete against each other zealously to gather news. Big figures such as Prime Minister and Prosecutor General continue to visit and suddenly a great commotion occurs. Guk-tae Kim, who is known as the origin of the riot and the main principal of stock price manipulation, shows up at the funeral. Watching Cheol-kyu Guk, the Head of Daehan Group, running in a crowd of mourners, politician Dae-cheol Park pictures Tae-san Cheon of Segi Group and Dae-ho Guk of Daehan Group. They were coexistent and accompanied each other in many directions. He recollects the memories of Tae-san Cheon, who trusted him, and then fades away into the time of heroes, which is now history.
During the winter of 1930, Tae-san Cheon was born as a first son of a tenant farmer in an out-of-the-way mountain village in Tongcheon-gun, Kangwon Province.
The place was also known as the pine village, because of its nature of having many pine trees. He helped his father with the farm work during the afternoon, and he learned Non-eo from an old man who was the schoolmaster of the village school in the evening.
He continued to feel curious about the outside world. Finally, he decided to run away from home when he graduated from elementary school. On a market day, Tae-san and his friends run away from home with the farewell given by So-sun, the daughter of the drunken singer.
ep. 3
While Tae-san and his crew travel on the train headed to Wonsan, Tae-san’s parents, Won-kyu’s mother and his wife, look for them in the village marketplace. They soon find out from So-sun that they are headed to Wonsan. Tae-san gets a job at a construction site by persuading the director persistently. In the warfare-like construction site, Tae-san works at night for extra pay with the single aim of saving Tae-sook’s life.
Tae-san meets a man who is the member of the freedom fighters. The man tells him that he must learn in order to make money. The light slowly dims and an ear-splitting sound is triggered by a whistle. Tae-san becomes injured by the falling stone and drops unconsciously, blood all over him.
ep. 4
Being struck by the falling stone, Tae-san is bloodstained from head to toe. With the help of Dong-min Sung, Tae-san receives twenty stitches on his head and gets his payment. However, he loses his job and looks for another construction site. In-kyu’s mother and his wife meet him at the construction site and bring him home. Tae-san and Chun-sam stays to make more money.
Coincidently, Tae-san and Chun-sam meet Dong-min Seo on the truck headed to the forest reserve. Dong-min advises him that he must challenge life order to make changes and Tae-san learns a lot from his words. Japanese cops chase them to the forest reserve and Dong-min tells Tae-san to study hard because someday he believes that Tae-san will become an important figure. Upon finishing his last words, he gets gunned down by the Japanese cops. By asking around, Tae-san’s father finds Tae-san and becomes terrified by the sight he witnesses. At Tae-san’s home, his sister Tae-sook calls for him in a delirious fever.
ep. 5
While walking through a mountain path covered in snow, Tae-san expresses what he learned from Dong-min, but his father only speaks of the family responsibilities and farming. When they approach closer the home, Tae-san calls out his sister’s name and runs quickly. Seeing the brother she has longed for for so long, she gasps in joy. Tae-san’s father emphasizes the positive side of farming while they cultivate the land. He tells him that all the honest efforts will show a profit in the near future but Tae-san just listens silently. Soon, a union member of forestry and resident officer confront Tae-san’s father for illegal cultivation and bring him to the resident office.
When Tae-san comes home, his sister Tae-sook is about to lose consciousness. When Tae-san’s father goes out to sell the cow, So-sun’s father Myeong-chang Park meets him on the way and begs him to take care of his daughter when he passes away. Tae-san’s father refuses, saying that it isn’t fundamentally right. With much illness, Myeong-chang Park goes to a restaurant to sing but dies. Saint Park, the owner of the restaurant, holds the funeral for him and takes care of So-sun.
ep. 6
Suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis, Tae-sook gives up on her life when Tae-san returns and Tae-san lets out a painful cry. He becomes furious by the fact that he prayed everyday and the tragedy still occurred, so he runs out to the outskirts of village and burns down the temple in madness; he passes out afterwards. One day, promising a future with So-sun, Tae-san runs away from home with the money that his father earned from selling the cow.
Four years later….
Tae-san becomes the manager of workers at Choson Rice Granary Inc., located in the loading dock of In-cheon harbor. He studies at night to prepare his future in a systematic way.
One day, he sees a bedbug striving to find food at the dorm. He then realizes that one can fulfill any dream with a determined heart. After this incident, he decides to challenge his life by going to Kyeong-sung with In-kyu.
ep. 7
Tae-san runs into Yoshida who taught him how to do bookkeeping in Jongro.
Yoshida recommends that he work at the rice store, mentioning the richest men of Choson, and tells him that he will far surpass them in the future.
By obtaining the news about So-sun with the help of Chun-sam, he waits in front of the Chosun restaurant to meet his first love.
ep. 8
As much as they’ve waited for each other, Tae-san and So-sun spend a long night together. Tae-san promises to come back after getting the job at the rice store and So-sun ties her hair up to show that she has spent a night with the love of her heart.
Visiting his hometown, Dae-ho Guk inherits a large sum of money and opens a rice cleaning mill. Tae-san starts working at a rice store which Yoshida referred him to and learns the rice business via his bookkeeping. Mr. Gwon, the owner of the rice store, sends Tae-san to Mr. Kang, a private money lender, to evaluate his character by faking it as a delivery.
ep. 9
Tae-san expands his business and multiplies the profit by increasing his clientele at the restaurant, dormitory, construction site, and factory. Recognizing the pure diligence of Tae-san, Mr. Gwon promises the penniless Tae-san that he will let him run the business. While walking with visiting friends from his hometown and Yoeng-hui, who is the daughter of Mr. Gwon, he rescues Hye-yeong, the daughter of Mr. Kang, from a thug. Therefore, Hye-young slowly becomes attracted to Tae-san. Mr. Gwon who has been observing Tae-san’s ability, tells him to take over the business. He tells him to borrow money from Mr. Kang and makes the deal for him. In spite of investing all the money to run the rice cleaning mill, Dae-ho Guk runs into trouble and visits Mr. Kang, the private money lender. During their conversation, Tae-san comes to see Mr. Kang and they head to Choson restaurant together…
ep. 10
While talking over a drink, Dae-ho asks for a solution of his red figures at the rice cleaning mill. Tae-san tells him to carefully observe the market prices and run the business in a completely different way. Also, he tells him to get into the transportation business, and Dae-ho greatly welcomes his advice by slapping his knee.
He praises Tae-san and asks of So-sun’s love. She shyly says that it is Tae-san Chun. With the help of Tae-san’s advice, Dae-ho expands his business and gets himself into real estate investment.
Tae-san starts his business with the new name on the sign saying ‘Kyeongsung Trading Company’ with help from Mr. Gwon and Mr. Kang. To increase sales, he rides his bike around to market his business. While Mr. Kang and Mr. Gwon praise Tae-san for his potential, he delivers rice to Gap eul auto repair center. He becomes surprised by the price of a car and is interested in Il Park, the driver, who snatches the tool from the mechanic to fix the car on his own.
As soon as he receives Tae-san’s letter saying that he will get married to So-sun, Tae-san’s father visits So-sun in Kyeongsung and tells her that he will not allow him to marry a singer’s daughter.
ep. 11
Because of the tormenting words of Tae-san’s father that he can’t approve her as a daughter in law, she feels agonizing pain and stops eating. Dae-ho is full of confidence after buying all the land in Kimhae. When he says hello to Mr. Kang, he becomes incredibly angry and tells Dae-ho that property speculation is gambling. Dae-ho is puzzled by his reaction and receives a telephone call from his business partner Dong-soo Shin on the way to Giseng house. Due to the outbreak of war between China and Japan, Sigsan bank is withdrawing their loans…..
Knowing that his father disapproved their marriage, Tae-san goes to Kyeongsung very often. However, So-sun does not see him. Losing all he had, Dae-ho goes to Manju to see the new culture. Tae-san lets out a painful cry after he finds out that So-sun has left.
ep. 12
Due to the war between China and Japan, Tae-san’s rice store runs out of business. Despite being heartbroken and unstable because of the separation with his lover, he manages to take over the auto repair shop. With his credits, he is a remarkable success. Dae-ho, who went to Manju to see the new culture, starts to show interest towards product transportation in Beijing, Chung-do, and Shanghai. He enthusiastically jumps into the trading business. He uses wheat, which is abundant in China, and runs a noodle factory… He challenges the market with high quality noodles, famous for their taste. Plus, he didn’t raise the prices, so his reputation was excellent. He changes the territory of the market.
Tae-san gets married at his family’s urging, and on the same day So-sun gives….
ep. 13
On the same day of Tae-san’s marriage, So-sun gives birth to his child.
By giving her son to Tae-san’s wife Young-soon Hyun, she tries to cut off the blood relations. Feeling guilty, she drinks heavily and tries to jump off a bridge. However, she meets a band from Hyeop Ryul Concert Hall on their road show and joins them. With a flourishing new business, Dae-ho plays with around 80 gisengs from 3 different giseng houses for a couple of days. He visits Mr. Kang and finds out where Tae-san is. He pretends to brag about the size of his new business but gives him information about So-sun’s traces instead.
One of the mechanics runs out to have a nighttime snack and accidentally knocks a can of paint thinner into a bonfire. Tae-san runs into the monstrous fire to save his auto repair shop…
ep. 14
Tae-san’s Kyeong sung auto repair shop becomes gutted by fire. Despite the tragedy, he doesn’t lose hope and visits Dug-yong Yoon, the most powerful man of Kyeong sung, the Director of Choson Control Office, and Heung-sik Park from the Hwashin Department store to promise the them he’ll pay them back. Fascinated by Tae-san’s spirit, Heung-sik Park encourages him by mentioning his past experience with a fire and advises him to become a respectable business man by making bigger plans. Dae-ho, who now owns a noodle factory and Daehan Trading company, also hears about the unfortunate news and goes to Kyeong Sung to encourage Tae-san. Tae-san goes to Mr. Kang and asks him to lend him more money. The air becomes thick with tension.
ep. 15
Tae-san’s dignified attitude persuades Mr. Kang to lend him money. Chief Gondo from Jong ro police department cancels the license of the factory to put an end to Tae-san’s business. However, Tae-san expresses his desire by spending a night in front of Gondo’s house and waiting for him all day at the police station. Heung-sik Park, Director and other owners of the burnt vehicles help Tae-san by giving him work at his new repair shop.
Hangsoo giseng meets So-sun at a make-up room in Jinju where a temporary stage is set, and she says that she will not go back to Kyeong Sung. So-sun sheds tears of pain when she hears that the name of her son is Il-guk. In December 1941, on the same day of Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor and the start of World War II, Tae-san’s wife Yoeng-soon Hyun gives birth to a son.
ep. 16
In the summer of 1944, goods are hard to get due to the Pacific War. Nevertheless, Tae-san manages to keep his business afloat with consistent improvements. One day, he screams in pain when he receives an order to merge all his auto repair factories. To make matters worse, all of his employees receive a draft notice. Tae-san tries to find a way to avoid this situation. On the other hand, ill So-sun gets left behind by the band members due to the death of another performer on the train. A lady monk who witnesses the scene helps So-sun and lets her stay at the temple. Finally, Saint Park finds her with the help of the lady monk. When she sees So-sun doing the three thousand bows, she begins to weep.
ep. 17
As Saint Park enters the main yard of Choson restaurant, she meets Tae-san, who waits for her, and they have an important moment together. That day, Tae-san packs to leave for the mine in Yellow Sea and So-sun hides behind a pole to watch her son. When Il-guk walks out the door, they share a few words but she faces Yeong-soon Hyun. Tae-san, without even knowing that So-sun is watching him, leaves with his family.
Saint Park notices the unstable metal condition of So-sun and tells her that the bottom of the sea reveals itself when the water is dry, but a person’s mind cannot be read. A wise person becomes the master of his own mind, but a fool becomes enslaved by it. She tells her to forget about him. Meanwhile, Tae-san arrives at the mine located in the deep mountains and his welcoming message is a rock that slams onto the van.
ep. 18
The men of the former transportation company come to fight with weapons, but Tae-san and Chun-sam’s crew win with a great victory. Tae-san even suppresses the gruesome behaviors of the bosses at mine and thus many workers follow Tae-san. When they become settled, Tae-san mentions the marriage of Tae-hee and Il Park. Saint Park tells So-sun to get her act together and start performing at a decent stage. She promises to introduce her to a supporter name Mr. Min.
ep. 19
With the help of mine workers, Tae-san overcomes the crisis and Tae-hee and Il Park get married at the mine field. Meanwhile, Dae-ho Guk travels with Dong-soo Shin in Japan to study the current situation. They meet a classmate name Suzuki and go to a giseng house together. Coincidentally, they run into a man name Cheol-geun Kang who is trying to win the carriage rights to Tae-san’s minefield. However, the new Japanese chief threatens Tae-san and his crew to give up the carriage rights or else he will have them drafted. Tae-san attacks him and runs away. Tae-san walks to the empty space of Kyeong sung auto repair shop and to his old rice store. He eventually stands in front of Choson restaurant. Right then, So-sun and her supporter Mr. Min get out of the car.
ep. 20
The chief of the Minefield and Japanese policemen threaten In-kyu and Chun-sam with a warrant to find Tae-san. Mr. Song, the former transportation businessman, goes to Tae-san’s house and tries to persuade his pregnant wife.
Tae-san has a brief moment with So-sun and meets Dae-ho on the street. He hears about the war situation. Mr. Kang, who knows everything that happened at the minefield, hides Tae-san at this house. They take care of the drafting problem and at last, he gives up the carriage right to Cheol-min Kang.
ep. 21
After independence, Tae-san retrieves his old auto repair factory and starts fresh with a new name Segi. Dae-ho slowly starts trading business to build the foundation but his noodle factory and brewery becomes destroyed by a mob of rioters.
The freedom brings confusion to the society and separates into right-wing and left-wing. The pro-Japanese become pro-Americans. In the unstable security, rioters invade Dae-ho’s factory and destroy them. Mr. Kang gives his books, land registration certificates, and cash to his daughters Hye-yeong and So-hee. Robbers come to Mr. Kang’s house and Tae-san visits his home a little after…
ep. 22
After being shot by the robber’s gun, he asks Tae-san not to be involved in the money game too much. He also asks him to take care of Hye-yeong for him and passes away in his arms. Tae-san thinks of himself as Mr. Kang’s son and takes care of the funeral as a chief mourner. Dae-ho Guk’s trading business goes well, but due to the riot that takes place in Dae-gu, instigated by the left-wingers, his noodle factory and brewery burns down. Cheol-guen Kang, who is money hungry, tries to emulate Dae-ho’s trading business and makes up a scheme to buy off the manufacturing facilities. Hye-yeong swallows the pain of losing her sister and father and continues the private business. So-sun starts working at the broadcasting network with the help of Mr. Min.
ep. 23
Tae-san visits the U.S. military government office to collect money and hears that civil engineering is the business of the future. He gets into civil engineering and opens a company named Segi Construction. The prosperity of Dae-ho’s trading business continues, but he thinks of a new business plan. In trust, Hye-yeong makes a big deal with the manufacturing facility broker Mak-dong Kim.
To eradicate any pro-Japanese forces, a committee practices the law and Cheol-guen Park becomes arrested for his past experience with the Japanese. Tae-san, also having an experience working at the mine, becomes arrested as well…
ep. 24
Cheol-guen Park gets bailed out due to his illness and interferes with Dae-ho’s trading business. Gaining trust in the manufacturing facility broker Mak-dong Kim, Hye-yeong lends him more money. He is very close to Cheol-guen’s confidant, Bul-chul Ahn.
Listening to a talk between Yeong-soon Hyun and In-kyu’s wife, Il-guk finds out that So-sun is his real mother. He waits for So-sun in front of the broadcasting company aimlessly.
Tae-san tries to register and tend to his construction business at the same time. But a civil engineer and a worker from the property administration office succeed in putting a stop to Tae-san. Bul-chul, who tried so hard to stop Tae-san’s civil engineering business, joyously watches Tae-san fall helplessly during an attack of thugs…
ep. 25
By the cancellation of sales in enemy property, Hye-yeong loses all the money she invested. She just manages to take it as a valuable lesson. Entering the broadcasting company, So-sun runs into Il-guk. She denies being his real mother, but Il-guk verifies that she is his biological mother.
Dae-ho meets president Seung-man Lee and explains the theory that they should use the aid given by U.S. to build factories. He earns the president’s trust and is sent to Japan on a mission. Cheol-guen and Bul-chul were gleefully waiting to bid, but Tae-san shows up with a bandage over his head and buys the property at a low price. He then leaves for the construction site in Yeosu. During the time of left-wing deviationist riot, Cheol-guen Park’s conspiracy puts Tae-san in a dangerous position. Identifying him as a Red, the government gives him a death sentence.
ep. 26
Because he is accused wrongfully, Tae-san’s brother Tae-il saves his life. After receiving the shocking news that his son is at an execution ground, Tae-san’s father dies and his mother becomes paralyzed.
Daehan Product Company, which has becomes incorporated, is wealthy enough to give all of its workers dividends. Dae-ho goes to Tokyo to see the development of Japan and learns that the nation shouldn’t spend its aid on food supply, but that it should be spent to elevate the nation’s businesses.
Leaving a good impression in Yeosu, Tae-san gets a lot of work and increases the numbers of the office. Suddenly, 6.25 war breaks out.
ep. 27
Refuges continue to flee, but Tae-san, Dae-ho, and Hye-yeong, who believe the news report that the Korean military is suppressing the North in victory, don’t realize the seriousness.
Hearing that Changdong line has been destroyed, Tae-san hurriedly prepares for evacuation before Han Bridge falls. He first sends off Tae-san and the crew and looks for Hye-yeong and So-sun. Unfortunately, they miss each other on the road. Hye-yeong cries when she comes back home and reads Tae-san’s letter. So-sun shows up at Tae-hee’s home to help them take care of their sick mother. Dae-ho, who couldn’t escape Seoul, hides himself underground. Mr. Gwon is captured by the Red military due to Hye-yeong’s accusation of being a vice loan shark.
ep. 28
Tae-san’s mother’s health becomes critical. So-sun brings medicine back from Choson restaurant, but she dies and the Tae-hees flee to Pusan. So-sun gets in touch with Dae-ho Guk and stays at his house temporarily. Tae-san wanders in Pusan with his family to find a job. Tae-il finds an advertisement on the pole and visits the U.S. military command office with Tae-san. Tae-il gets a job as an interpreter and Tae-san gets a job building the quarters.
ep. 29
Tae-san sobs at the news of his mother’s death and other members of the family thank So-sun and Dae-ho for their help. Hearing that So-sun took care of his mother by her side until the last moment, Tae-san’s heart aches even more strongly.
Tae-san feels rather inconvenienced by not having any good workers on his team, which delays the speed of the construction. In the very nick of time, he meets Sang-hoon Lee and buys a U.S. military truck at a cheap price. With the help from Lee, his construction flows much smoother.
Seoul becomes restored and the Red army moves north again. Dae-hoe Guk looks around at his devastated office and swallows the bitter pain. Dae-ho, who is now penniless, decides to go to his hometown, and So-sun heads to Pusan alone…
ep. 30
Dong-ho Lim visits Dae-ho Guk who comes down to Daegu and gives him 3 billion WON, his life savings. He tells him to make money with philosophy. He hears about the Chinese Air force’s entry in the war and goes down to Pusan to do a scrap iron exporting business, which is most abundant during wartimes.
So-sun goes to Bujo restaurant to meet Saint Park with Mr. Min. Just in time, Tae-san comes to see Saint Park due to her request and they meet each other. Hye-yeong hears of Tae-san’s need from Saint Park, but she gets into the money exchange business.
Tae-san, who is now in charge of all the construction work with the U.S. military, visits his parents’ graveyard in Seoul. Due to the entry of Chinese Air Force, Tae-san becomes stranded by the refugees. So-sun visits Yeong-soon to see Il-kug before her departure…
ep. 31
So-sun tells Saint Park and Mr. Min that she will marry Mr. Min after one last concert.
Dae-ho, who has become successful with the scrap iron trading business, hears about Tae-san obtaining the exclusive rights of the U.S. military construction. He meets Tae-san at a Bujo restaurant and rejoices in the moment. On the way to a concert to cheer the punitive expedition, So-sun gets shot by ambushed Red guerillas and falls into critical condition. Saint Park immediately notifies Tae-san and he leaves to visit So-sun at the military field hospital with Tae-il and Il-guk.
ep. 32
At the military field hospital, So-sun closes her eyes while holding the hands of Il-guk and Tae-san. As she wished, Tae-san cremates her dead body and sprinkles the ashes of her remains on the river along with the copper ring she wore until the very last day…
Upon hearing that Daehan Product Company earned a lot of money by selling scrap iron, Cheol-guen Park visits Dae-ho for guidance. Without hesitation, Dae-ho Guk gives him information on scrap iron dealers and accounts. He foresees that after the cease-fire agreement is made, the neglected industries will become opportunistic businesses. Moreover, to reconstruct the economy of the nation after wartime, he feels the essential need of the manufacturing industry. Therefore, he decides to establish a sugar factory.
The U.S. military command makes a request upon Eisenhower’s visit to renovate the quarters and lay green grass in the UN cemetery. Most of the civil engineering companies give up on the business. However, Tae-san takes orders unconditionally.
ep. 33
Tae-san searches all over Seoul to find boiler and toilet parts that need to be installed in Woonhyun Palace, where U.S. president Eisenhower will be accommodated. Hopeless, he runs into his friend from the childhood days. Meeting Pal-chul Choi, a friend and the owner of second hand shop, he takes care of his problem with ease. Also, he buys a large area of barley field near Nakdong River to take care of the UN cemetery construction.
Dae-ho meets Hye-yeong to lend the money he needs for the sugar factory. He borrows 3 billion WON. He finds a site for his factory and visits the owner. He implores with his heart to make him sell the land, but the owner refuses. They go out to have noodles. While they eat, he praises the quality of half moon noodles from the past. Dae-ho appreciates his appraisal and tells him that he used to own the business. The old man becomes greatly impressed by fact and tells him that he could trust him for his past experiences. In the end, the old man agrees to sell the land to him. Despite the interference brought on by the Japanese sugar manufacturing industries, Dae-ho manages to import the machines in Korea. Nonetheless, now that he has the machines, he can’t bring in the workers from Japan.
ep. 34
Dae-ho has difficulty getting an entry permit for his Japanese workers. He invites Professor Yoon from an engineering university in Japan for the establishment of his company and installations of the machine. However, the difficulty persists. Tae-san predicts the future business after the cease-fire agreement. He signs a contract with the biggest government based construction project, called the Gyoryeong Bridge restoration. Because of the high inflation, Tae-san faces deficit spending from the early process of construction. However, he maintains to keep the business running by investing all of his money and efforts. In spite of it all, the structures and his crew get carried away by a flood.
ep. 35
Even the official from the Ministry of Home Affairs, who gave him the job, advises him to stop before the deficit figures balloon. Nevertheless, Tae-san tries his best to find the materials and money that he needs. At last, Tae-san, Tae-hee and In-kyu sell their homes and move together into a shantytown. Even the material merchants stop supplying Tae-san when they hear the rumor that he will soon run out of business. Due to the emergency currency, even his main bank can’t give him a loan. To get a private loan, Tae-il visits Hye-yeong. However, he comes back without anything. Dae-ho concentrates all his efforts in establishing the company by putting in a whole day with his workers. He puts the raw material into the machine and operates it, but the machine doesn’t produce sugar and it blows up. The fire catches and the factory turns into a mess.
