The movie takes place in Korea from the 1950s to the 1980s.
hough fiction, it wins sympathy from all viewers, as it is based on fact. The movie begins with the Hungnam Evacuation in December 1950 during the Korean War (1950-1953). U.N. forces had to make a large-scale withdrawal from Hamheung, Hamgyeongnam-do (South Hamgyeong Province), because of a massive attack from North Korea and China. The family members of the hero, Deoksu, escape from Heungnam Port barely escaping the Communist regime, and head to the South.