Chun-ho and his wife Sun-hie wander Korea in search of a way to make a living under Japanese colonial occupation. They settle in a mining village where Sun-hie is forced to put up with her husband's gambling and beatings. Eventually he forces her to go to a loanshark so he can get enough money to run away with a prostitute.

One rainy day, Cheol (Shin Seong-il), who is a lowly auto mechanic, and Yeong-hui, who works as a maid at the home of the French ambassador, meet by chance. Cheol has a great desire to succeed in life. He tells Yeong-hui that he is the son of a businessman and pretends to be the owner of a luxury sedan. Attracted by Cheol, Yeong-hui also pretends to be the French ambassador's daughter, and the two promise to meet only on rainy days, when she can hide her real identity by wearing an expensive French raincoat. Cheol and Yeong-hui continue to meet for romantic dates in the rain and their love deepens day by day. However, Yeong-hui's conscience is tortured by the need to keep lying, and she confesses the truth to Cheol. Unable to hide his disappointment and anger at the shock of having his hopes dashed, Cheol abandons Yeong-hui.