Chunhyang’s mother is the daughter of an apothecary, and beautiful beyond compare. While young, she falls in love with a noble official who spends a huge sum of money to build her a house, which comes to be known as Attar Lodge. There Chunhyang is born, and there her mother acquires fame as Lady Hyang, praised by hack writers and pansori (solo lyrical opera) singers alike.

Over time, Attar Lodge becomes the home to a number of other underprivileged people: an abandoned woman, an impoverished gentleman, the son of a singsong girl, the daughter of a thief. Despite their low social status, they enjoy life to its fullest. Their stories attract many visitors, such as lustful businessmen, young men yearning for fame, and arrogant nobles.

Yi Mongryong, son of a prominent family, meets Chunhyang by chance at the Dano Festival and is immediately smitten. He mistakes her for Lady Hyang and goes to her mother’s house at midnight. But Mongryong is no different from other men before him: his love interest is no more than a fleeting fancy, for he has other ambitions. Lady Hyang uses hack writers and pansori singers to exaggerate and spread the love story of Chunhyang and Mongryong, turning it into a classic legend.

The new Namwon magistrate, Byeon Hakdo, tries to force Chunhyang to marry him. Lady Hyang comes up with a dramatic idea to prevent that from happening, and Chunhyang also makes a decision that is totally different from the one we know in the classic Chunhyangga.