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.

Two brothers—Chul-ho, an accountant with a toothache and a pregnant wife, and Yong-ho, an unemployed ex-soldier wounded in battle—navigate life in post-war Korea.

In order to gain revenge on the killers of his parents, a man joins an organized crime ring as a hit man. The brutality of his slayings in his quest for vengeance makes him a man that the police desperately want to collar. ※ Only the first 32 minutes of the film currently exist today. The plot summary has been added in the form of title cards to aid the viewing experience.

During the Joseon dynasty, the adviser Choi manages to place his natural son on the throne. His ambitions are upset by the appearance of Young-mun, a man whose parents he had killed.