A woman attempts to help her small village by changing its primary source of income from open-water fishing to clam farming, but meets with opposition from the fleet owners.

Bun-rye, the eldest daughter in a poor family, is violated by Yong-pal, who is a married man, and out of desperation she becomes a concubine of Young-cheol, a gambler who is impotent. Kong Jo-shi is in love with Bun-rye, though she still has feelings for Yong-pal. After losing his money, Young-cheol takes out his anger on Bun-rye and throws her out of his house. In retaliation, Jo-shi kills Young-cheol, and Bun-rye is driven to madness.

Father An is locked up in a basement by retreating North Korean soldiers while reconstructing his church ruined during the Korean War (1950-1953). The North Koreans hide in the basement with Father An and tries to escape the church by using him as a shield. Captain Choe Dong-ho of the South Korean Army has been chasing the remnants, but he cannot annihilate them because of the safety of Father An. However, thanks to the clever strategy of Captain Choe, the North Koreans are killed and Father An is safely saved.

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.