Jin Song Rim strives to turn her humble mountain hometown of Pyokgye-ri into a model socialist village.

During a diving drill, the North Korean army finds an UN patrol ship that was sunk in the Korean War and manages to salvage a document from a waterproof iron box that tells the story of several North Korean soldiers and the female army war correspondent who accompanied them on their fatal mission.

This is the story of Ji Jun, the widow of a sailor who swims out to an American warship with a mine in his hands and destroys it Kamikaze fashion during the Korean War. The sailor is a true believer in the revolution, while his wife cares more about what goes on in the household. In a change of heart, she decides to return to his farming village and work with the other beneficiaries of land reform to produce food for the revolution.

The film is composed of six interconnected segments, each exploring different aspects of love across multiple generations. The story begins in the 1960s with a young boy in a rural village and spans across decades to feature characters in various stages of life. The first part, titled "Tangerine Ghost," follows a young boy in the 1960s, while later parts explore the lives of middle-aged and elderly characters dealing with loss, love, and memories. The film’s narrative revolves around a symbolic ancient ginkgo tree in the village, which connects the characters and their experiences throughout the six parts.