Three childhood pals, Joon-seok, the leader, whose father is a powerful crime boss; Dong-su, whose father is an undertaker; Jung-ho, a class joker; and Sang-taek, an exceptional student; are depicted in the movie. The plot is based on the director's personal experiences with his friends, and it is semi-autobiographical in nature, taking place in his hometown of Busan. The film debuted as the highest-grossing Korean film of all time when it was released.