The film intercuts two stories, one in black and white, one in color. From 1965 to 1970, we follow Jeon Tae-Il, a poor young man who quits street vending to work in a garment factory. Amid appalling work conditions, he buys a law book, seeks government help, forms an association, talks to reporters. When conditions don't change, he takes a dire step. Five years later, a young couple follow Tae-Il's path: pregnant Shin Jung-Soon tries to organize a union in her garment factory. She's harassed, then beaten. Her husband, Kim Yong-Su, an intellectual in hiding from Park Chung Hee's repressive regime, is writing Tae-Il's story. Can he elude capture to complete the book?