Harbin

In 1909, Ahn Jung-geun struggles across the frozen Tumen River while his fellow resistance fighters question his allegiance. The brutal conditions test his resolve and his leadership is scrutinized. The tension sets the stage for a deeper internal and external conflict within the movement.

Ahn's leadership is challenged because many of the fighters under him perished in a recent attack. He had refused to execute prisoners of war and freed them, including officer Tatsuo Mori, a decision that fuels distrust among some of his squad. The rift foreshadows the difficulties he will face in coordinating future missions.

Mori tracks down Ahn's group and slaughters them with cannon fire, decimating many of the resistance fighters. The massacre leaves Ahn and his remaining allies in a precarious position, heightening the sense of looming failure. The losses deepen Ahn's resolve to take decisive action.

Ahn decides redemption lies in the assassination of Itō Hirobumi, the Japanese Prime Minister. Itō is travelling by train from China to Harbin to meet with Kokovtsov to discuss Korea's future, giving Ahn a concrete target and a narrow window of opportunity. The plan moves from aspiration to a clandestine mission.

Ahn leads a team by train toward Vladivostok, hoping to secure the means to strike Itō. The conductor overhears Korean voices and alerts Japanese soldiers, triggering a chaotic brawl. Kim is knocked from the train window, and Ahn narrowly escapes, forcing the mission to reset.

Ahn reaches a safehouse in Vladivostok where reinforcements from Korea arrive. The newcomers question Ahn's leadership, and they usurp his authority as Woo Deok-sun reconnects with the group. The team regroups but remains divided on the path forward.

Itō Hirobumi is briefed about the assassination plot but refuses to cancel the public reception at the Harbin railway station. This decision increases the risk to Itō and raises the stakes for Ahn's operation. The clock ticks as plans tighten around the event.

The team seeks explosives from Gong, an arms smuggler. Vladivostok proves too slow, so Gong arranges the materials via her brother-in-law in Jilin, enabling a potential strike. The delays push the mission closer to the critical window for action.

With time running out, the team cannot hit Itō in Changchun and moves to China. They are ambushed outside their safe house by Russian and Japanese troops led by Mori, and the explosives are destroyed. The squad begins to suspect a mole within their ranks.

On the train to Harbin, the team uses a sting operation to lure Itō into a trap, feigning a strike at a railway station. The ruse exposes Kim as the traitor, fracturing the remaining trust within the group. The traitor's identity accelerates the tension toward a final confrontation.

Woo and Kim reach the change station where Mori's troops await. Woo confronts Kim about his betrayal, and a flashback reveals Kim's capture and Mori's gas torture that brought him to a critical breaking point. Mori realizes the mission's true destination lies in Harbin.

At Harbin railway station, Ahn stalks the dignitaries through the crowd after a briefing. Mori closes in, but Gong assaults Mori, allowing Ahn to shoot Itō repeatedly while shouting for Korea. Ahn is then detained, marking a dramatic turn in the mission and in his personal sacrifice.

News of Itō's assassination spreads quickly, and Ahn Jung-geun is hanged in March 1910. The execution closes his direct involvement in the plot but cements his legacy as a symbol of resistance. The price paid for independence is loudly proclaimed by his death.

Mori meets with Kim to infiltrate Kim Ku's independence movement, but Kim stabs him to death and rejoins Gong and Woo. This act represents a personal victory and a strategic reorganization for the resistance. The group recommits to the struggle under a new dynamic.

The film returns to the frozen Tumen River where Ahn reflects on the ongoing fight for Korean independence. Ahn's last thoughts affirm the need to persevere despite bleak prospects. The narrative closes with a resolve to continue the resistance.