Go Eun Sung leads a charmed life. Her wealthy, adoring father allows her to live her dreams of studying abroad, and the only difficulty in her life is her younger brother’s struggle with autism. Despite all this good fortune, everything changes for Eun Sang when her loving father dies of mysterious circumstances. After the family discovers that Eun Sang’s father left behind a tremendous amount of debt, her stepmother promptly throws her and her brother out of the house. Homeless and penniless, Eun Sung takes a job as a waitress at a nightclub to support herself and her brother. Eun Sung hits rock bottom when her brother disappears. Her fortunes turn, however when her kindness lands her a new lucrative job and a new family of sorts, which leads to new fortune, but also new obstacles.
Brilliant Legacy was among the top-rated Korean dramas of the year; it maintained its number one spot in the viewership ratings chart for 19 consecutive weeks and reached a peak rating of 47.1% for its last episode.