Goong is a story about young love in face of tradition, politics, and intrigue. In the imaginary world, modern-day Korea is a constitutional monarchy and the Royal Family lives in a grand Palace, the Goong. The story opens with the sudden death of the reigning King. Faced with the decreasing popularity among the public for the Royalty, a grand wedding for the Crown Prince, Lee Shin (Joo Ji-hoon), is decided to be the best publicity move to improve the image of the Royalty and at the same time prepare Shin for immediate succession.