[1] The series follows Nahum Shemesh, a young provincial man from the southern Israeli city of Beersheba who moves to central Tel Aviv-Yafo where he opens a small restaurant, "The Empire of the Sun" (a play on the character's name, as Shemesh means sun in Hebrew, as well as a reference the 1987 Steven Spielberg film of the same name).
The series explores the cultural tensions between different facets of Jewish-Israeli society, with the provincial Shemesh clashing with the urbanites of Tel Aviv-Yafo and their "northern" perspectives.
In addition to drawing inspiration from 1990s American sitcoms, such as Married... with Children and Seinfeld, the series is heavily influenced by the real-life story of its lead actor, Zvika Hadar.
At the time, Hadar was a rising star who had moved to Tel Aviv-Yafo and found success after growing up in Beersheba.
The main character is an exaggerated, fictionalized version of Hadar, sharing several traits with the actor—including a deep passion for the football team Hapoel Be'er Sheva.