A young boy mourns the death of his father, and begins a quest to find his mother. He encounters many people on the way who quote Buddhist precepts: an eccentric monk, a girl who grows up into a young woman, a prison inmate, a foul-mouthed doctor and the young son of a hard drinking astronomer. Each of them tell the boy to seek someone to help him find the truth and his mother.
Byeon Kang-soe proves to be too powerful and endowed for most women to bear so he begins a quest to locate Ong-nyeo, a woman whose sexual stamina matches his own
Kang-soe and his wife Ong-nyeo settle down in a new village but tragedy strikes when Kang-soe dies while chopping wood. Ong-nyeo announces that she will marry any man who can successfully bury her husband. Many men try to accomplish the task, but die in the process. Ong-nyeo is in despair over not being able to complete the funeral preparations when her husband appears before her apparently alive again
Having been a college student for the past seven years, there are not many people who take Kim Su-hwan seriously. That, combined with personal issues of his sexual prowess, drives his girlfriend into the arms of a man who is more confident and unafraid of life.
Ki-rye, from a respectable but poor family, is married off to the deceased son of a powerful government official. Her father-in-law takes pity on her miserable and lonely condition and helps her to run away. She becomes a servant in Minister Choi's house. She marries again to a low-level noble, but finds herself in dire straits when it appears that she is unable to produce a male child to carry on the bloodline.
Na-young is a Korean-American college student. Staying with her uncle in Korea, Na-young is forced to learn Korean dances, Korean traditional songs, and sewing from her aunt. Unable to bear it any longer, Na-young leaves her uncle's home. In a music salon, she meets Hyung-rok and his band. Hyung-rok is a singer and a college student. Na-young learns of love and friendship from them. When the music salon is closed down, Hyung-rok and his band decide to enter the college song contest to reopen the salon. Despite old instruments and hunger, the band wins the contest with Na-young's help. Na-young learns of how precious her home country is through Hyung-rok and his band. She asks her uncle to build a fancy music salon. Leaving behind love and friendship, Na-young returns to America.
College boxer Jin-kyu falls in love with a college girl Min-hye while chatting on the phone. Min-hye gives him her virginity but her family forces her to get engaged to In-myung and get rid of the baby with Jin-kyu. Broken hearted, Jin-kyu fights as a professional boxer while seeing Yeon-hi who runs a salon. He loses the match on the verge of championship and suffers failure. Min-hye feels sympathy for him who struggles and embraces life.