The film centers on independence and intelligence of a woman who makes active choices regardless of social norms and ethics. The main character is a divorcee, Eul-hye, and the story unfolds as she encounters different men and experiences with dramatic incidents and conflicts.
A farmer in a community near Jirisan falls in love with and marries an itinerant performer. She plans to betray him by robbing him and leaving with her old boyfriend, another itinerant performer, when he comes to the village. Eventually she realizes she loves the farmer and stays with him.
A deaf woman boarding with an elderly laborer suffers many hardships upon the latter's death. The old man's son offers to care for her, but she feels she must leave in order to protect the young man's reputation.
Gyu-hwa and Jin-wu are old friends with very different personalities. Their friend Mi-yeon used to be close to Jin-wu but when she grows up, she becomes a prisoner of Gyu-hwa's aggressive behavior. Gyu-hwa takes Ga-hi away from Jin-wu when he discovers that she comes from a wealthy family. But Gyu-hwa begins to have an affair with an older widow and begins to abuse Mi-yeon, the mother of his daughter.
Shortly after Korea gained independence from Japan (1945), North Koreans decide to extort civilians' property in the name of revolutionalizing its land and settle class struggles for proletariats. The film depicts an anti North-Korean concept, detailing the country's situation after the independence. South Korea's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1968.
