Man-seok, a cow-seller, receives the girl Ok-sun in lieu of payment for a cow. He abuses her horribly and disfigures her face during one of his rages before losing her to a gambler.
Three young people, tired of the restrictions placed upon them by adult society, run away to a deserted island to live as they see fit. Gangsters are also using the island, however, and the utopia the three had created is soon under attack.