Magistrate Hwang's daughter Jin-yi, is jilted before her wedding because a shoe maker was smitten with her and commits suicide. Jin-yi becomes a courtesan, and becomes famous for her wits and beauty. She falls for Byuk Kye-su, but he's chosen to be an envoy to a far off kingdom. When he leaves she feels so betrayed she takes to a life of wandering. She meets Lee Saeng, a destitute scholar, and stays with him until she discovers he's going to sell her to a group of itinerate clowns. Instead, she joins them willingly.
After 10 years of marriage, Sun-young and Tae-yeon save up a significant amount of money. Tae-yeon runs a food processing company and works hard to expand business but Sun-young wants to enjoy the fruits of their labor. While partying with her friends, she meets fashion designer Pierre Kang and has an affair with him. When her infidelity is found out by her husband, he asks for a divorce. When he refuses to forgive her, she seeks it through suicide.
