The film recounts the lives of four boyhood friends: Joon-seok, the leader, whose father is a prominent crime boss; Dong-su, whose father is a mortician; Jung-ho, the class joker; and Sang-taek, an outstanding student. Busan, the director's birthplace, serves as the setting for this semi-autobiographical tale about his buddies. It was the highest-grossing Korean film of all time at the time of its release.