Activist Hyun-woo is released from prison after a 17-year stint. Journeying back to the village where he spent some time as a fugitive he recalls the time spent with Yoon-hee, a woman who gave him shelter and companionship.

Working from Hwang Sok-yong’s novel, Im Sang-soo (The Housemaid) constructs a back-and-forth historical relationship melodrama, looking at the lives of an activist and a political prisoner some 17 years after the Gwangju Massacre. A moving, romantic depiction of South Korea’s recent history.