Botan

Jek Hong brings his 6-year-old daughter, Botan, across the seas from China to search for a close friend who had come to trade in Thailand. However, he discovers that his friend has already passed away. With nowhere to go, Jek Hong and Botan wander aimlessly until they meet Plan, a Thai man who makes a living growing and selling vegetables. Plan helps by renting an abandoned vegetable stall next to his own from Khunying Kulap, a wealthy widow, so Jek Hong can earn a living. He also lends him some money to start.
Jek Hong and Botan move into an old hut and eventually turn the neglected garden into a thriving vegetable farm. Botan later meets Chakrit, the beloved son of Khunying Kulap, by chance, and the two become close friends. This makes Jek Hong uneasy, as he knows their social statuses are worlds apart.
As time passes, Chakrit and Botan grow into adulthood, and their friendship धीरे transforms into love without them realizing it. Eventually, they give in to their feelings. Plan learns of this and tries to warn Botan, but she loves Chakrit too deeply to listen. Chakrit also loves Botan, and they swear eternal love to each other at Wat Leng Noei Yi.
When Jek Hong recovers from an illness and returns home, he begins to notice their closeness. One day, he discovers that Botan has already given herself to Chakrit. Chakrit promises to take responsibility and marry her. However, when Khunying Kulap finds out, she refuses to accept Botan as her daughter-in-law due to her lower status. Chakrit then gives his mother an ultimatum: if she refuses to accept Botan, he will not go abroad to study as she wishes.
Reluctantly, Khunying Kulap allows Jek Hong and Botan to move into her house, secretly planning to deceive Chakrit so he will agree to go abroad. At that time, Chakrit does not know that Botan has become pregnant. After Chakrit leaves to study overseas with Phanthip, Khunying Kulap immediately forces Botan and Jek Hong to move into the servants’ quarters. Botan eventually returns to the vegetable garden, where she gives birth to a baby girl named Kannika.
Upon hearing the news, Khunying Kulap decides to raise the child herself and pretends to treat Botan kindly, allowing the baby to stay in the main house while Botan continues working and visits her child when she can. Meanwhile, Jek Hong’s health deteriorates, and Plan helps take care of Botan and earn money for treatment.
However, a servant sees Plan with Botan and falsely reports to Khunying Kulap that they are having an affair. Khunying Kulap secretly has photos taken and sent to Chakrit abroad, causing him to misunderstand. He then decides to marry Phanthip.
Around the same time, Ah Tong, a broker who supplies women to wealthy men, tricks Botan into working at a sewing factory. Botan agrees and leaves her child in Khunying Kulap’s care. In reality, she is taken to a brothel run by Madam Ngak. Fortunately, Madam Ngak takes a liking to Botan and repeatedly helps her avoid clients through various schemes.
One day, Jek Hong discovers the truth and confronts Ah Tong, leading to a fight. Ah Tong pushes him down the stairs, killing him, and buries the body to hide the crime. Later, while drunk, Ah Tong attempts to assault Botan in her room. She fights back and accidentally stabs him to death. She is subsequently sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Chakrit and Phanthip return from abroad and meet Kannika, his daughter, for the first time. Despite everything, Chakrit never stops loving or thinking about Botan.
Ten years later, Botan receives a royal pardon and is released from prison. Madam Ngak takes her in, and they live together in a rented house. Botan earns a living by mending clothes near Wat Leng Noei Yi. She misses her daughter deeply but does not dare approach her, fearing she might bring shame.
Kannika, now grown, often visits the temple with Kamphon, a young officer educated abroad. One day, her skirt tears, and she asks Botan—who is sewing nearby—to fix it. When Botan sees a jade pendant, she immediately realizes Kannika is her daughter. Though Kannika feels an unexplained bond with her, Botan never reveals the truth.
One day, Kannika returns with Chakrit. When he sees Botan, he is shocked. The next day, he secretly meets her again and learns the truth from Plan—that everything was fabricated by Khunying Kulap. Botan forgives everyone and asks Chakrit to forget her and never tell their daughter who she really is.
Will Botan be able to keep the truth hidden from Kannika? What will become of her life? Follow the story in the drama “Botan.”