Banga Nam, a rich man in the village, despite having wealth, is dissatisfied that he cannot show off anywhere due to his commoner status. He buys the position of Chamt'i with 200 sacks of rice and ascends to the Yangban (nobleman) status. However, he is tormented by the strict regulations of the Yangban and eventually returns to his commoner status, where he can live without being bound by anything. The love story between a Yangban's son and a commoner's daughter, Ae Rang, is intertwined with this main plot.