Not long after the Korean War ended, near a small village on the eastern armistice line, there is a South Korean army shooting range. Most of the villagers are refugees whose hometowns are in North Korea, and the children help support the adults by collecting and selling empty shells to contribute a little to the meager household income. It is in this poor village that elementary school teacher Oh Ji-young is assigned. In her eyes, the village is desolate and devastated, and she pours all her passion and sincerity into sowing dreams and hope in the children. The parents are ignorant and indifferent to their children; Young-gyu's father, Kim Sang-hyun, squanders the money from selling the shells his son collects on alcohol and gambling, while Dong-ho's mother, Ok-soon, hides this from her son and earns a living at a town bar. In this dark environment, the children, who do not lose their dreams or love, decide to use the money from selling the shells to help Yong-soon's sick mother. However, Young-gyu's father reprimands his son, telling him not to do useless things when it's already difficult to make a living. Ok-soon chooses to work to take care of her younger siblings, while Dong-ho and Young-gyu plan to drop out of school and run away to Seoul. But as Young-gyu's group goes to collect shells to fund their trip, an unexploded shell detonates, killing Deok-pal and injuring Young-gyu in the head, causing him to lose his memory. The village elders gathered at the hospital regret their ignorant past and promise to build a new village and start a new life.