THE TRIP opens with two college students, Gyeong-mi (Park Joo-hee-I) and Jun-hyeong (Park Sang-gyoo-I). The two set off to backpack across Jeju in search of inspiration to enter a photography competition. The outspoken and tomboyish Gyeong-mi tries to get everything her way, while sensitive guy Jun-hyeong struggles to persuade her otherwise. However, when Jun-hyeong announces that he will be drafted into mandatory military service soon, Gyeong-mi suddenly loses her appetite.

The second portion of the film zooms into local Jeju life. Fifteen-year-old Su-yeon (charmingly portrayed by an actual local student Kim Ji-eun-I) sorely feels the growing pains as she must deal with them on her own ? her father lives far away because of work, her "haenyeo" (Korean diving fisherwoman) grandmother is getting sick and frail, and schoolwork bores her.

She finds Solace in daydreaming about mainland life, particularly Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, where her mother, who left the family when she was five, supposedly works. When summer break hits, Su-yeon decides to search for her mother, and is shocked to discover that she runs a manicure shop in Jeju.

This film contains English subtitles.