Yod Rak Nak Soo

Kewalin, a beautiful and passionate young conservationist, is the only daughter of Mr. Wisoot, a wealthy businessman who owns a massive stone-crushing plant in the North. Kewalin is headstrong and refuses to listen to anyone. She is deeply convinced that her father's business destroys the environment and was the very reason her mother died of a broken heart. Kewalin dreams of and is determined to become a conservationist just like her mother. Because of this, she opposes her father's business in every possible way.
Meanwhile, Mr. Wisoot loves and is fiercely protective of his daughter, as Kewalin is the last thing his wife left him before she passed away. He plans for Kewalin to marry Cherngchan, a young naval officer and the son of a close family friend. Thida, Kewalin's stepmother, also tries hard to play matchmaker. Kewalin absolutely refuses, stating she cannot marry someone she does not love. But Wisoot threatens to cut off her financial support entirely, prompting Kewalin to plot her revenge against her father.
As soon as she returns from abroad, Kewalin heads straight to Khao Lak to start an artificial coral reef project to create habitats for marine life, with Cherngchan assisting her. Stubbornly, Kewalin refuses to contact Wisoot, which makes him incredibly angry.
Kewalin travels to Khao Lak National Park but arrives ahead of schedule due to a mix-up. This exposes her to the disorganization of the park rangers: Taengran, Wat, and Phajon. She also meets Bancha, the head of the national park. Convinced that no one takes their job seriously, Kewalin constantly clashes with almost everyone in the office.
On her way to the park, Kewalin observes the local villagers' way of life and is utterly appalled to see them openly eating and selling sea turtle eggs. She tries to report it to the police, but they ignore her because it is a local custom she is simply unfamiliar with.
At the park, Kewalin meets Plearn, a true local man of the sea, who is diving to collect coral. Angered that Plearn is destroying nature, the two clash, and Kewalin beats him up severely. Neither realizes that their paths are destined to cross again in unexpected ways. At her park accommodation, Kewalin meets Mae Phon, the park's housekeeper, who takes good care of her. Kewalin is deeply impressed by Mae Phon's kindness, completely unaware that she is Plearn's mother.
As Kewalin's artificial coral project gets underway, she faces a lack of cooperation from her colleagues, causing severe delays. She needs a skilled local expert, and Bancha recommends a man—who turns out to be Plearn.
Working together, Kewalin and Plearn don't exactly like each other, but necessity forces them to cooperate. An accident occurs where Kewalin drops her mother's necklace into the water, leading to a huge argument. The boat takes on water and is damaged, leaving them stranded on an island together. They eventually survive and make it back, but their relationship remains terrible.
At the same time, Kewalin's relationship with her colleagues deteriorates because her intense dedication makes her view them as inefficient. Over time, the situation improves as Plearn steps in as a mediator, helping Kewalin understand her coworkers and the locals better. Bancha also secretly helps her. However, the person most frustrated by this is Aoi, an older woman whose foreign husband died during the tsunami in Thailand. Aoi inherited his wealth, becoming the owner of a restaurant and a cabaret show. Aoi has always secretly loved Plearn and is furious to see Kewalin and Plearn getting so close.
When a trawler starts dragging its nets near the shore, Kewalin is furious and tries to push Bancha to take action. Bancha tries to explain the complexity of the issue, but Kewalin refuses to listen and insists on handling it herself. When she goes to the police, she learns that the trawler belongs to Nai Hua Chaiya, a powerful local mafia boss whom no one dares to touch. Facing this massive problem, Kewalin turns to Plearn for advice. Despite their differences, they team up for the sake of the community to create an "aquatic animal bank." The goal is to provide villagers with a sustainable livelihood so they won't have to destroy nature anymore.
Kewalin and Plearn must work together on the artificial coral and the marine animal bank projects. They struggle to make the villagers understand the benefits and face numerous obstacles, but ultimately, the projects succeed. The villagers see the benefits as their incomes rise without having to break the law, and they willingly begin to cooperate.
Plearn and Kewalin grow closer, and their bond blossoms into love, though neither is willing to admit it. Kewalin notices that every full moon night, Plearn disappears without a trace. She keeps her suspicions to herself but resolves to find out exactly where he goes.
Meanwhile, Nai Hua Chaiya attempts to encroach on the villagers' land to build a pier for tourist boats, tearing right through the coral reefs. Kewalin and Plearn try to rally the locals to protest, receiving full support from Komsan, Nai Hua Chaiya's son.
Komsan goes out of his way to help Kewalin, which makes Plearn's younger sister, Ploy, dislike her, as Ploy secretly has a crush on Komsan. Aoi is also angry because Kewalin is getting too close to Plearn. Aoi and Ploy conspire to get rid of Kewalin from the island, but their plans constantly fail. Kewalin narrowly escapes every time with the help of Taengran, a park official who defects from Aoi's side to become Kewalin's loyal assistant.
Cherngchan requests a transfer to the South to investigate a drug trafficking ring that traces back to Khao Koh. He warns Kewalin to go home because the island is not safe. Kewalin refuses to leave because her mission is not yet complete. Cherngchan warns her to be careful. Before leaving, Cherngchan meets Ploy. He finds her interesting, but Ploy ignores him. When Komsan learns about Cherngchan from Ploy, he shows intense interest and orders Ploy to keep spying on Cherngchan for him. Ploy eagerly agrees, thinking Komsan is finally paying attention to her.
The aquatic animal bank project begins to make progress, attracting foreign tourists. Kewalin is thrilled that her project is benefiting the community. She opens an English class for the villagers, including Plearn, so they can communicate with the foreigners.
Just as everything seems to be going smoothly, bad news strikes. Tour groups cancel their bookings due to problems abroad, cutting off the villagers' income. Everyone feels discouraged and hopeless. Plearn and Kewalin console them, urging them not to give up and to rise up and fight for their community once again.
On a full moon night, Plearn prepares to take his boat out as usual. Kewalin secretly follows him. They clash, and Kewalin accuses Plearn of doing something illegal or being part of the drug gang. Plearn drags Kewalin along with him. What she sees leaves her speechless: Plearn is moving sea turtle eggs away from the beach to save them from villagers who hunt them. Kewalin wants to apologize for misunderstanding him but doesn't have the courage.
On the boat ride back, Kewalin spots mysterious lights coming from the other side of the island. Curious, she convinces Plearn to check it out. They discover a cave where art sculptures are hidden. They are spotted and chased by criminals, resulting in their boat exploding, but they manage to escape and hide on another island.
Ploy asks Komsan for help to search for them, but Komsan gets visibly angry before quickly covering it up. Ploy starts to suspect that Komsan knows more than he's letting on and consults Aoi. Aoi leads the villagers on a search but only finds the wreckage of the boat, leading everyone to believe Plearn and Kewalin are dead. Komsan is openly overjoyed, leaving Ploy devastated that the man she loves is happy about her brother's death.
Cherngchan arrives on the island to take Kewalin home. Bancha tells him she is missing, so Cherngchan informs Kewalin's father. Everyone rushes to search for them, but Komsan fiercely opposes the effort. Wisoot travels down to find his daughter himself and runs into his old friend, Bancha. Wisoot accuses Bancha of holding onto the past, but Bancha shoots back that it was Wisoot's greed that made him neglect his family and caused his wife's death (both men had loved the same woman: Kewalin's mother). Wisoot fires back by bringing up Bancha's past, leaving Bancha in silence. Wisoot knows that Bancha's son ran away abroad and cut off all contact. Cherngchan steps in, telling them to calm down because the priority is finding Kewalin. Wisoot swallows his pride and asks for Bancha's help, believing his daughter is still alive.
When Nai Hua Chaiya learns that Wisoot is a major businessman, he eagerly offers to help find Kewalin, planning to lure Wisoot into a joint resort venture. Secretly, Chaiya is plotting to seize community land owned by Plearn to build a hidden tourist resort. Komsan, who acts like a good guy helping the community and constantly arguing with his father over his business, is actually a major drug lord using his art gallery as a front. Even Nai Hua Chaiya has no idea.
While stranded on the island, Kewalin attempts to dive and survey the coral reefs but gets into an accident. Plearn dives down to save her life. Just as Kewalin opens her eyes, Cherngchan and Bancha, who had been searching for them, arrive. Kewalin wakes up in Cherngchan's arms and mistakenly believes he was the one who saved her.
Wisoot begs Plearn not to tell Kewalin the truth about saving her, for the sake of her future, as she is supposed to go back and marry her fiancé, Cherngchan. Plearn is heartbroken but gives his word as a gentleman and tries to distance himself from Kewalin.
Plearn asks Kewalin to meet him to tell her something important. Kewalin thinks he is going to propose. Overjoyed, she meets Cherngchan to break off their engagement. However, things do not go as planned. When she returns to the cliff for their meeting, she sees Plearn and Aoi being physically affectionate. Kewalin is deeply disappointed and hurt by Plearn's actions.
Back in the village, chaos erupts. Capitalists are trying to evict the villagers, holding legal title deeds to the land. Kewalin and park officials try to negotiate, but they are defeated by the evidence, as the deeds were legally issued. Kewalin is forced to be the one to evict the villagers from their livelihood. Plearn is incredibly disappointed in her.
Cherngchan asks Plearn to take him to the island where he found the drug cave. Plearn agrees because it is the island where the turtles come to lay eggs. At the very least, it will fulfill the promise he made to Kewalin to take her to see the turtles. Plearn asks Cherngchan to fulfill that promise for him, and Cherngchan immediately agrees.
Komsan, the mastermind and owner of the drug-stuffed sculptures, panics that his secret will be exposed. He plans to murder Plearn to silence him. However, Aoi learns of the plot from Komsan's drunken henchmen who spill the beans to her own staff. Aoi rushes to warn Plearn but ends up taking a bullet for him, leaving her severely injured.
Nai Hua Chaiya brings the police to arrest Plearn for drug trafficking because a massive stash of drugs was found on the deserted island near the beach where Plearn watches the turtles. Only Plearn's hut and belongings were found there.
At the hospital, Aoi regains consciousness and begs Kewalin to find the truth. Moved by Aoi's heart and her love for Plearn, Kewalin asks Cherngchan for help. Cherngchan asks why she is doing this for Plearn. Kewalin doesn't answer but promises that once this is over, she will go back and marry him immediately. Through a man's intuition, Cherngchan knows Kewalin has absolutely no feelings for him.
Ploy overhears Aoi's conversation with Kewalin and confronts Komsan. Komsan fiercely drives her away. Devastated, Ploy visits Plearn in jail but only cries, too afraid to tell him the truth because Komsan threatened to kill her entire family. Plearn tells her not to worry and asks her to take good care of their mother.
Cherngchan investigates and discovers that Plearn is a good man, just like his father, who also died for the cause of island conservation. Cherngchan needs to know what Plearn was really doing on that island. He goes back on a moonless night and discovers the truth: Plearn was watching the turtles lay eggs until morning. Cherngchan also spots a mysterious boat circling the back of the island.
Plearn is released, much to Komsan's anger, as he fears Plearn can identify him as the owner of the drugs. Komsan decides to blow up the cave to destroy the evidence, but Cherngchan sets a trap and successfully arrests Komsan.
Chaiya had no idea that his son was a major drug lord smuggling drugs overseas inside art pieces. Devastated, he decides to make amends to the community by returning all the farming land. Everyone is overjoyed that peace is finally restored.
Wisoot and Bancha reconcile. With Kewalin's help, Wisoot reunites Bancha with his estranged son. Bancha is overjoyed, and the old friends finally mend their relationship. Seeing Mae Phon, Wisoot teases Bancha to start a new life. Bancha takes the advice and proposes to Mae Phon, forming a new family, and Plearn proudly calls Bancha his father.
With everything resolved, Kewalin decides to return home at her father's request. She decides to study abroad to forget Plearn and her past on the island.
Three years later, Kewalin returns to Thailand and sees the news that Koh Khai (Egg Island) has been declared a Natural World Heritage Site due to its abundant environment. The three projects Kewalin and Plearn built together fully restored the island's marine nature, bringing sea turtles back to lay eggs naturally on the beach. This was achieved through the united effort of the villagers and their community leader—Plearn.
At Kewalin and Cherngchan's wedding, Bancha attends and gives Kewalin a gift. When she opens it, she is stunned. Inside the box is her mother's necklace, which was lost in the sea, and which Plearn had promised to return. Memories flood back; Plearn had kept every promise he ever made to her.
Kewalin decides to call off the wedding. Cherngchan is actually relieved by her decision and wishes her happiness. He returns to the Koh Khai community with Kewalin to reunite with Ploy, the girl who caught his eye from the very beginning. On a full moon night by the beach, Plearn and Kewalin hold their wedding ceremony, witnessed by the sea turtles and schools of fish...
Years later, at a global environmental conference, Khao Koh is officially recognized by UNESCO as a Natural World Heritage Site, thanks to the relentless efforts of Plearn, the local leader, and Kewalin, the conservationist, who fought together to make it a reality.
Tune in to Yod Rak Nak Soo (My Beloved Fighter), airing every Monday - Friday at 6:30 PM on Thai TV Color Channel 3. Yod Rak Nak Soo premieres on Friday, November 30, 2012.