"When the Camellia Blooms" tells the story of Dongbaek, an orphan who grows up to be a single mother. She opened a izakaya called "Dongbaek," which means camellia in Chinese. After meeting Yong-sik, a righteous patrolman in the town, Dongbaek's life took a turn. They fell in love despite the world's prejudice against single mothers. Yong-sik was raised by his mother alone since he was a child, and he understood how hard Dongbaek's journey had been, so he wanted to protect her for the rest of his life.