Political storms are raging in the kingdom of Joseon in the year 1457. But the tiny village of Yeongwol is so remote from the capital, life goes on unaffected. All of that changes one day when village chief Heung-do (Yoo Hai-jin) finds out that a neighboring village has hit upon an unexpected source of wealth. Chosen to host a court minister exiled from the capital, the town becomes the destination for shipments of food and other gifts from favor-seekers who anticipate that before long, the official will inevitably return to power. The village becomes so rich, they can even eat white rice.

Eager to secure a similar windfall for his own people, Heung-do launches a campaign to promote Yeongwol as an ideal destination for exiled officials. And against expectations, he succeeds in convincing the shady government operative Han Myeong-hoe (Oldboy’s Yoo Ji-tae) to send Yeongwol its own dignitary. Yet Heung-do’s triumph is short-lived. Some time later a pale-faced, sickly young man arrives on a palanquin with a single female servant. No shipments of gifts stream into the village. It’s only then that the townspeople realize who is living in their midst: the deposed king Danjong, banished from the capital by his vengeful uncle, the new king.