Writing
Sam-po is a gambler living without concern for how his wife will manage their houselhold without his earning money. In order to get food and provisions, his wife An-hyeob, sleeps with various merchants in the village. One of the few men she does not sleep with, a lustful servant named Sam-dol, decides to reveal her activities to her husband for revenge.
On the first full moon of January, in the town of Ha-pyung, there is a festival going on in the yard of Shin Chi-gyu, the town's biggest landowner. They are playing yut, a game of throwing four short sticks. The winner of the game is Ok-bun's husband, Lee Bang-won. Having no money, Ok-bun and Bang-won had been tenant farmers on Chi-gyu's land. With their winnings, they try to start their own business. Chi-gyu had always been drawn to Ok-bun. When Bang-won leaves, Chi-gyu comes on strong to Ok-bun. Ok-bun waits eagerly for her husband's return but Bang-won has failed in his business and returns a pauper. As their dreams go up in smoke, Ok-bun falls into deep despair.
There is a poor farmer couple. The landowner, an old man, covetous of the tenant's wife, tries to seduce her and sometimes threatens her. The wife spends every night with the old man at the water mill. Her husband, hearing the news, runs to the water mill and witnesses them together. He picks up the sickle that was placed near and kills his wife. The landowner escapes and the farmer gets arrested by a Japanese policeman.
The film is based on the 1925 short story of the same title by Na Do-hyang and revolves around the story of a deaf farm hand who is in love with a landlord's daughter-in-law.
