Pak Jun Do is the son of a lost mother and an influential father who runs a work camp for orphans. There the boy is given his first taste of power, picking which orphans eat first and which will be lent out for manual labor. Jun Do comes to the attention of state superiors, rises in the ranks, and starts on a road from which there will be no return: he boldly takes on the role of rival to Kim Jong Il in an attempt to save the woman he loves.