An ambitious jeweler must compete with rivals and past trauma when she becomes tangled in a web of envy, deceit and vengeance.

This drama is about Yang Nam Jin (Park Yoon Jae), a normal young man from the countryside who is not satisfied with his fate and boldly challenges it to pioneer his own road.

This is the story of two women, Seo Jung Eun and Han Yoo Kyung, who walk very different paths to achieve their desires. Seo Jung Eun is a strong and courageous woman who has suffered a difficult life, having grown up in an orphanage, but continues to embrace people around her despite longing for affection herself. Jung Eun harbours the hope that she will meet her mother if she becomes a star, striving to reach her goal and overcome her suffering with her pure and innocent nature. In contrast, Han Yoo Kyung has a birth secret for which she is willing to throw away everything in order to get revenge. The "thorn birds" of the title refers to Jung Eun's character, who only brings out her best at the cost of great pain. A thorn bird is a mythical bird who searches for a thorn tree from the day it is born. When it finds it, the bird impales itself upon the sharpest thorn, and rises above the agony to sing the most beautiful song ever heard.

Cha Hong-Do (Choi Gang-Hee) suffers from social phobia and has a problem with severe blushing. She does have a strong sense of curiosity and learns from books and the internet. One day, Cha Hong-Do's grandmother dies. Her grandmother was her only contact to the outside world. Cha Hong-Do then begins doing housework as a maid, but disguises herself as an elderly woman. Through an incident, she meets a psychiatrist, Ko Yi-Seok.

Eun Chae Ryung is a spoiled daughter who had always completely relied on her father. When he is involved in an accident one day, she finds herself rudely awakened from her sheltered life and forced to mature, encountering numerous hardships before she gradually becomes an independent person.

Gu Cheng Ze, the adopted son of the Gu family, is the CEO of Gu Mall Corporation. Mrs. Gu wishes for her biological grandson, Gu Jin Yu to take over the company; and Gu Cheng Ze is tasked to guide the rightful heir towards becoming a respectful businessman. During this time, he meets fashion designer Li Yan Shu and discovers that she is Gu Jin Yu's ex-girlfriend. He decides to hire her aboard to motivate Gu Jin Yu, who still harbors feelings for Li Yan Shu. The plan worked when Gu Jin Yu decides to join the company and pursue her. When Mrs. Gu finds out about Gu Jin Yu's feelings for Li Yan Shu, she was livid and tells Gu Cheng Ze to separate the both of them. This creates an opportunity for Gu Cheng Ze and Li Yan Shu to get closer to each other, and they fell in love. With the help of Li Yan Shu, Gu Cheng Ze overcomes many difficult situations. Gu Jin Yu, after undergoing life-changing experiences, also matures and successfully took over his company.

This drama tell the story of the power struggles in a hospital.

Ye Jin Woo (Lee Dong Wook) is a doctor in the emergency medical center at Sangkook University Hospital. Meanwhile, Goo Seung Hyo (Cho Seung Woo) is the president at Sangkook University Hospital. One is a warm heart doctor but another one is cool heart president.

Gu Yue Tao, a newly hired high school teacher, is determined to bring out the best from each and every one of his students. He meets challenges in the form of his tomboyish and Mood-Swinger coworker Pei Pei, the somewhat antagonistic student Shi Yan Feng, and constant complaints from parents concerning his untraditional teaching methods. Although his students vary greatly in terms of academics and personality, Yue Tao helps them in not only an educational sense but also by establishing a personal connection, helping them see past the horizons of their eighteen-year-old sky.