University student Ju Hee loves Min Woo, a deaf school teacher 11 years her senior. However, due to her parents' opposition, they cannot marry and Min Woo is transferred to the southern coast. Ju Hee and Min Woo part ways painfully, but reunite when Ju Hee comes to nurse the ailing Min Woo. Enraged by Ju Hee's departure, her father collapses from high blood pressure. After much deliberation, Ju Hee finally decides to part with Min Woo. Her father's condition improves, and Ju Hee meets Min Woo again, starting a life of poverty. Her mother encourages her future, but Ju Hee passes away after giving birth to her first child.