In-chul, a scholar of botany, is climbing a mountain for some research when he meets Jin-suk who lives in a forest cottage. At the request of Jin-suk's father, Sang-do, In-chul stays and lives with them. One day, a snake catcher falls under the temptation of Sang-do and is used as a body for dissection. While probing dubious action of Sang-do, In-chul is captured and locked in the basement. He is to become the subject of a live dissection. In-chul had been suspicious of their behavior and investigating when he was caught. In-chul is lying on a surgery table when he escapes with the help of a young hiker and Jin-suk. Sang-do confesses that he had been suffering from nightmares ever since he was dragged off by the Japanese and forced to perform live dissections. These nightmares have made Sang-do a murderer. After his confession, Sang-do kills himself. In-chul and Jin-suk leave the cottage.
Ae-shim, a waitress, meets Yun-gu and ends up living with him at a rest area restaurant by the industrial highway. However, Yun-gu treats Ae-shim badly. One day, the vagabond Jun-tae shows up in front of Ae-shim. He seduces her and they plan to kill Yun-gu and get his fortune. But Yun-gu catches on to Ae-shim's betrayal and plotting. He still loves her though. Yun-gu decides that the only way he and Ae-shim can be together forever is to die together. Yun-gu pretends to be a pawn in Ae-shim's plans but then leaps off the cliff with her, killing them both. Jun-tae ends up getting caught by the police.
Yeon-ha is charged with adultery by her husband, but as events of her unhappy and violent marriage are revealed, the court comes to sympathize with her.
Disgusted with the behavior of his young step-mother, Sang-tae does a little digging into her past and discovers, among other things, that she may have killed her former lover.
Oh Ka-hi is a popular madam in a nightclub in Mu-gyo-dong street. She supported her widowed mother and sister by working in a factory. Ka-hi and Tae-su, an honest boy, were in love. Then Dal-su, an animal of a man, raped her. With that, Ka-hi went from working at a bar to becoming a hostess at a cabaret. Ka-hi meets Hyun-wu and gets pregnant by him. She gives birth to Suk but learns too late that Hyun-wu is a married man. Dal-su persistently hounds her. He steals her bank account and takes the money she had earned with her tears and blood. To be worse, Suk dies from gas intoxication. Ka-hi falls into despair. Duk-sam, a driver, takes care of her. Ka-hi slowly rises from her nightmarish reality. In the end, she accepts Duk-sam's marriage proposal.
Two friends fall in love with the same woman, but when she chooses one over the other, the spurned lover decides to blackmail her.