Based on the ten-volume original novel “Gaekju” by Kim Joo Young which was published from June 1979 to Februrary 1983 through daily newspaper “The Seoul Shinmun”, it tells the story of tradesmen in the late years of the Joseon era. Cheon Bong Sam, the descendant of a merchant family, starts off in the market as a barker and makes his way up to become a wealthy merchant.