While on his way to the local temple to ring an ancient bell which will grant his dying mother safe passage to the afterlife, Jong-du's father is killed by a Japanese soldier who was looting the temple. Out of respect for his father and grandmother and to help their spirits rest in peace, Jong-du tries to join the temple and cast a new bell to replace the one that was stolen however his obsessive behavior gets him kicked out of the temple. He marries Suk-hie who helps him scrounge for copper so he can make a new bell on his own.