For months, Choi Jin-yong yearns for his runaway bride, Lee Mi-oak. Through menial jobs with disreputable companions, he holds her picture as a sign of his quiet torment in his search for answers. Twisted by the shame of her secret life as a prostitute, the beautiful Mi-oak hides herself in a small brothel between Busan and Seoul. But when she runs out of money, the domineering madam and her pathetic husband pressure her to sleep with their brutish clientele. As Mi-oak's resolve wavers, she knows that Jin-yong's love could wash away her shame; but will her upstanding husband accept her unwholesome past? Doubts plague the promised couple as they fight to preserve their love in the face of unrelenting lust and greed. Director Lee Doo-yong subtly infuses this bittersweet love story with poignant insights on society and the lonely human condition.