When the Camellia Blooms is a story of Dongbaek, an orphan who grew up to become a single mom. She owns a small bar, also called ‘Dongbaek’ which means camellia in English. Her life takes a new turn after meeting Yongsik, a do-gooder police officer in their small town. They fall in love despite social stigma against single parenthood. Yongsik, having been raised by a single mom himself, understands Dongbaek’s challenges and embraces her dearly.