This literary adaptation tells the story of Oh Mong-nyeo, a young woman living with her stepfather in a seaside village. When men in the village attempt to rape her, she escapes by boat with her boyfriend to seek a better life elsewhere.
Chun-hyang, the daughter of a geisha in the Namwon region, and Lee Mong-ryong are engaged. When Lee Mong-ryong goes up to Seoul with his father, Byeon Hak-do, the newly appointed magistrate, attempts to take Chun-hyang. Chun-hyang rejects his pleas for her to come serve him and he throws her in jail. Meanwhile, Lee Mong-ryong becomes an undercover detective after placing first on his national exam and goes to Namwon to arrest Byeon Hak-do and rescue Chun-hyang.
