In 1992, Min-young, a member of the university protest music group Wildflower Sound, joins forces with the ideological study circle Flag to support workers at Samhyung Industries, who are striking after going six months without pay. On the day of the strike, riot police launch a violent crackdown. Workers and student musicians alike are beaten and dragged away. In response, fellow students form a resistance line to rescue them. The standoff escalates into a massive clash between citizens and police—broadcast live on national news. Compelled by something greater, Min-young steps onto the stage and cries out: "We are not rioters!" A roar of unified voices rises and echoes across the nation. “Arise, you who live—The day is coming!”

In the middle of the night, a horrendous murder takes place in a public washroom. Major Crimes detective Dong-geun finds a crumpled up note inside the victim’s mouth. The note contains a date from 11 years ago, and as he digs deeper into the note, he finds out that the victim was a bully in the military, and Dong-geun gets a chance to reflect on his own unsavory past that he has forgotten until now.