Three months before the presidential nominating convention, Jang Il Joon, from the New Wave Party, declared his candidacy. On that same day, a woman died in a gas explosion in Sam Chuk. Yoo Min Ki, a documentary producer, heard of his mother's sudden death and headed back home. As he cast his mother's ashes in the sea, he thought of his childhood: his father always blurted out that Min Ki was not his son whenever he was drunk. After the funeral, Min Ki returned to Seoul and Jang Il Joon asked Min Ki to work as a PR agent to record the election campaign process. When Min Ki asked Il Joon why he was chosen, Il Joon confessed that Min Ki was his son. Min Ki soon begins to suspect that his mother's death was not an accident and that Il Joon had actually killed her.

This drama commemorates the soldiers who gave their lives in the Korean War, fought between North and South Korea between 1950 and 1953, and is designed to remind people that the heavy cost of human lives far outweigh any national glory. Lee Hyun Joong is a South Korean squad commander and war veteran who is dedicated to protecting the lives of the soldiers serving under him, despite his jaded outlook. His chance meeting with Lee Tae Ran on the battlefield stirs memories of the past, but she is now a lieutenant of the North Korean army.

Jang Bo-go (Choi Soo Jong) was a slave from Shilla (a Korean dynasty that lasted from 57 B.C. until 935 A.D.) He was sold in China during the Tang Dynasty, where he was trained as a gladiator-slave. Through hardwork and perseverance, he made it back to Shilla and became a successful sea merchant. The sea passage at the time was plagued by pirates and Jang Bo-go went head to head with them in battles and managed to keep the pirates at bay. This epic drama tells the story of a historical figure blending it with intrigue and battle of wit to make it into a successful drama of all times.

This drama is about Emperor Wang Gun, the founder of the Koryo Dynasty.