During a state visit to Japan the Korean president gets involved in a heated debate with the Japanese prime minister over the origins of kimchi, with the latter boldly claiming that kimchi was originally from Japan, thus an original Japanese dish. This does not please the Korean president, so he vows to market the dish to the world as the originator. Upon his return to Korea, he announces a national "Kimchi Contest" to reaffirm its position as a Korean product. Jang-eun (Kim Jung-eun), is a famous fusion chef, who left Korean 10 years ago to train in Japan and hides her broken heart with a cold-hearted mask. She has always resented that her mother was once a gisaeng and for cherishing her Chunyanggak Restaurant more than herself and her own daughter. Thus she has returned to shut down the restaurant which her mother has run for years. On the other hand, her step-brother Seong-chan (Jin Goo), who was taken in by Jang-eun's mother after his deaf-and-mute mother was unable to care for him, is an advocate of tradition and wants to keep the beloved restaurant. He proposes that they compete in the Kimchi Contest for the rights to close or save the restaurant.