Anniquin are Korean immigrants who work sugarcane fields in Mexico. In 1905, a group of Korean laborers dreaming of a paradise, are yanked off a ship to face deadly heat and slave labor. Chun-dong is the son of a butcher and Guk-hee is the daughter of a ruined aristocrat. Some try to escape the abuses of the slave drivers but most are caught and put to death. Some of the women get special treatment for favors. Chun-dong saves Guk-hee from such a situation and they fall in love, despite the social disparity. Chun-dong is sent home to warn of the terrible circumstances, but promises to return.