Eight years into the reign of King Sungjong of the Chosun Dynasty, a sanction against remarrying for widows was implemented. The belief at the time was that it was better to die of starvation than to compromise one's chastity. Many widows had to live a life of loneliness in the name of defending their chastities. Han, a widow, prays to the gods asking them to alleviate her loneliness. Her devotion moves them and she is given a wooden ball. When one chants "What is it used for?", the ball turns into a man. When the word gets out, all the widows in the village want to take possession of this heavenly gift from the gods. When a conflict to possess the ball ensues between Han and Oh, another widow, the village lord decides to cut it in half.
Mun-hui
Na-young becomes a prostitute when her heart is broken and then she is sexually violated by Jung-han, a street thug.
Gang-soi is a mean scoundrel who travels up north. Ong-nyo, a woman destined to be widowed, is run out of her village and travels south. Gang-soi and Ong-nyo meet in Chongseok-gwan, a midpoint between Hwang-hae province and Gaeseong, and they get together. As they wander the lands, Ong-nyo works hard while Gang-soi does nothing. They settle down in Mt. Jiri. But when Gang-soi brings back a totem pole while looking for wood and when he tries to start a fire with it, he incurs its wrath and dies. Thus their relationship comes to a tragic end.
Widow Ok is the daughter-in-law of the Hwang family in Youngnam region, a family known for its generations of virtuous women. Widow Ok sticks to a life of principles and focuses on rearing her children. Chon-seok is a servant who has feelings for Ok but is resigned to admire from afar. Choi, a man of influence, has his eyes on Ok and wants to get rid of Chon-seok.
