Plerng Torranong

Plerngrit Chatayothin, or Plerng (Mario Maurer), is the only son of Pipat (Songsit Roongnophakunsri) and Pongpaew (Suangsuda Lawanprasert), a fisherman couple at the Ranong market. Because of his exceptionally good looks that make him stand out among the regular merchants and fishermen, Lin (Phantira Fuklin), the daughter of the market owner, Tao Kae Heng (Santi Santiwetchakul), who grew up with him, openly declares her intention to claim him. However, Plerng only sees Lin as a friend and has never thought of her in a romantic way.
Plerng is a hardworking and resilient young man who has been helping his father catch fish since before he even finished school. After graduating from university with a degree in marketing, he gets a job at a seafood export company. Because the company's owner is British, Plerng gains valuable business experience in exports and becomes highly proficient in English. Meanwhile, Namfon (Natapohn Tameeruks), a travel show host and producer, brings her crew to film at the Ranong market. Coincidentally, a fish cart loses control and hurdles straight toward Namfon. Seeing the danger, Plerng rushes in with good intentions to grab her out of the way. Unfortunately, they both tumble into a fish stall, leaving Namfon completely covered in fish and smelling awful. Namfon is both embarrassed and furious at Plerng. Seeing the incident, Lin rushes in to help Plerng, escalating the situation into a messy seafood war.
Pipat reads in the newspaper that Thongtra (Mayurachat Muenprasitwet), the queen of the jewelry industry, is gravely ill due to a severe heart attack. Realizing that the mother he deeply respects is unwell, he hurries to take his wife and son to Bangkok to beg for her forgiveness for abandoning everything to be with Pongpaew over 20 years ago. This revelation uncovers the truth about Plerng's parents' past: Pipat is the eldest son of Lady Thongtra, a wealthy and famous socialite. He fell in love with Pongpaew, a humble fish vendor in Ranong. Butsakorn (Mayurin Pongpudpun), Thongtra’s second daughter, was displeased, believing Pongpaew was a gold digger after her brother's wealth. She manipulated Thongtra into hating Pongpaew, which led Thongtra to force Pipat to choose between his mother and the woman he loved.
However, the unexpected happened when Pipat chose to stay with Pongpaew and leave everything behind. Heartbroken and deeply resentful that her son chose a penniless woman over her, Thongtra publicly disowned him. Since then, Pipat lived with Pongpaew, working as a fisherman and fish vendor. But fate played a cruel trick. On the way to Bangkok in his old pickup truck to visit Thongtra, Pipat gets into a severe accident that leaves him in a coma. At that exact life-or-death moment, Thongtra also requires an immediate heart transplant. Caught between the lives of his two benefactors, Plerng makes the agonizing decision to donate his brain-dead father’s heart to his grandmother, Thongtra, hoping it will make up for his father's mistakes over the past 20 years. Thongtra successfully receives the heart transplant and is out of danger. Butsakorn orders everyone to keep the source of the heart a secret, fearing Thongtra would finally accept Pongpaew and Plerng.
When Thongtra wakes up, she learns of Pipat's passing. She is devastated that her son died so prematurely. Plerng takes the opportunity to apologize for the past on his father's behalf. Thongtra lets go of her anger toward Pipat, but she maintains a cold and indifferent exterior toward Plerng, even though deep down she actually feels affectionate toward him. Thongtra allows Plerng to move into the Chatayothin mansion. Plerng has to live amidst the hostility of Butsakorn, who views him as a major thorn in her side.
Meanwhile, Namfon tries to push her older sister, Sita (Nichapan Chunhawongwasu), to end up with Chanon (Weeradon Wangcharoenporn), Thongtra’s youngest grandson. However, when Sita meets Plerng at the Chatayothin house, she instantly feels a special connection with him. Namfon tries every possible way to keep Plerng away from her sister, but the more she interferes, the closer she and Plerng inevitably become. Plerng begins to fall for Namfon but keeps his feelings to himself.
In the battle for the Chatayothin inheritance, Plerng has Anirut (Penpetch Penkul), Thongtra’s youngest son, on his side. Anirut genuinely treats Plerng as his nephew and helps him secure a job at Petch Thai, the family's jewelry company, working as his assistant.
Working in the international department, Plerng's capabilities catch Anirut's eye. Natnaree (Chotika Wongwilas), Butsakorn’s youngest daughter, teams up with her mother to sabotage Plerng's work in every way possible. However, Plerng manages to solve the problems and successfully closes deals with clients. This makes Thongtra see his dedication and secretly feel proud of him. Seeing that things aren't going her way, Butsakorn urges Anat to hurry up and marry Namfon. But Anat is uninterested because he is heavily addicted to gambling. As Namfon spends more time interacting with the Chatayothin household, she realizes that Pongpaew and Plerng are nothing like the terrible things Anat accused them of. However, when Namfon sees Lin visiting Plerng at the house, she assumes Lin is his girlfriend, which secretly breaks her heart.
Petch Thai Company receives a foreign jewelry order that requires Thai pearls. Thongtra assigns Chanon to take Plerng to inspect a pearl farm in Phuket. While the group is inspecting the farm, Anat sends his henchmen to assassinate Plerng. Namfon happens to be there and gets caught in the crossfire. The boat Plerng and Namfon use to escape the gunmen gets shot and explodes, but luckily, they both decide to jump into the sea just in time.
Plerng and Namfon wash ashore on a deserted island. With his fisherman instincts, Plerng easily builds a fire, finds food, and takes good care of Namfon. But when it's time to sleep, Namfon gets paranoid about being stranded alone with a man, fearing he might try to take advantage of her. She secretly spikes his coconut water with sleeping pills, pretending to care for him and insisting he drink it all. Not wanting to upset her, Plerng complies. The drugs take effect, and he falls into a deep sleep. But karma strikes back—Namfon suddenly becomes terrified of ghosts. No matter how hard she tries to wake Plerng, he won't budge. Deciding to sleep next to him, she takes an allergy pill to help her sleep. She reaches for the coconut to wash it down, only to realize Plerng drank it all. With the pill stuck in her throat, she is forced to swallow it dry. Just as expected, Namfon falls completely unconscious.
The next morning, Chanon, Sita, and a swarm of reporters who had been closely following their disappearance arrive at the island. They are shocked to find Plerng and Namfon sleeping intimately in each other's arms. Smelling a front-page scandal, the reporters scramble to the front and relentlessly snap photos. Everyone is stunned—especially Sita, who is more shocked than anyone and feels an inexplicable sharp pain in her heart. All the while, Plerng and Namfon remain deeply asleep. Maenmas rushes in to pull Namfon away and wake her up, while Chanon helps Plerng up, waking him to a scene of utter confusion.
After returning safely from the island, everyone is hit with the scandalous front-page photos of Plerng and Namfon cuddling. Society gossips wildly, assuming the two have already slept together. As the rumors continue to blow up, Thongtra decides to put an end to the scandal by ordering Plerng and Namfon to marry immediately to clear their names. Despite Namfon's desperate attempts to explain that nothing happened between them, the wedding is hastily arranged. Sita is deeply heartbroken and disappointed. Understanding her pain, Chanon feels immensely sorry for her and tries his best to comfort and cheer her up. As for Namfon, even though she agrees to marry Plerng, deep down she is still unsure of how he truly feels about her, believing he is still in love with Lin. Meanwhile, Anat, who managed to escape, lies in wait, plotting his revenge against Plerng...
How will the romance between Plerng and Namfon unfold? Will Sita be able to get over Plerng? And will Anat succeed in his revenge? Find out in the drama "Plerng Torranong" (The Arrogant Flame), airing every Friday at 8:30 PM, and Saturday - Sunday at 8:15 PM on Thai TV Color Channel 3. Premieres Saturday, July 9, 2011.