The Man with Three Coffins

Three years after his wife's death, Sun-seok takes her ashes out of his closet and travels to spread them in her hometown. The act triggers a road trip where memories of his wife resurface in unfamiliar towns and along the road. He leaves his quiet home, stepping into a journey that blurs memory and reality.

During his journey, Sun-seok meets three women who resemble his wife; the first is nurse Ms. Choi. The encounter unsettles him and plants the idea that memory can echo in the present. The meeting foreshadows a surreal path where reality and longing intertwine.

In Mulchi, Sun-seok stays at a local inn and encounters a group of hikers who invite him to gamble and spend time with prostitutes. He considers the invitation as a distraction from his grief. The encounter foreshadows the moral complexities of his road trip.

The inn owner introduces Sun-seok to an ill old man and his nurse, Ms. Choi. The old man longs to return to his hometown of Wolsan but cannot speak his wish. Ms. Choi helps them escape the son's house, though they need a man to escort them on the final stretch north.

The inn owner explains they will pay Sun-seok 100,000 won if he helps them reach the old man's hometown. Sun-seok declines the offer, choosing not to become part of their plan.

Sun-seok searches for the hikers at their motel and is introduced to a second prostitute who resembles his wife. After sleeping with her, she experiences a seizure and dies in the morning. A fellow hiker suggests he leave quietly to avoid police trouble.

Sun-seok returns to the local inn and learns the nurse and old man have already left in a taxicab. The revelation deepens his sense of loss as memories of his wife continue to slip away.

In the next town, the inn owner arranges a second prostitute who also resembles his wife. He sleeps with her, but she dies in the morning, leaving him shocked and more isolated in his grief.

Buses to Wontong are halted by a heavy snowstorm, forcing Sun-seok to hire a taxi at a high price. On the way, he encounters the two men who are looking for the old man and Ms. Choi.

Sun-seok agrees to accompany the two men to find Ms. Choi and the old man; they locate them at a small inn. The two men coerce Ms. Choi to sign a contract promising not to reveal the old man's wish to return home.

After the men leave, Ms. Choi tells Sun-seok that if he had helped them sooner, the events might have turned out differently. They discuss their hometowns and possible futures.

Ms. Choi invites Sun-seok to dinner and they discuss their lives and next destinations. Their conversation leads to a more intimate moment, and they end up sleeping together.

In the morning, Sun-seok leaves for Seoul and disperses the rest of his wife's ashes with the winter wind. Ms. Choi accompanies him and they walk toward the river together.

They walk to the Auraji River where a boat will take him back to Seoul. Sun-seok proposes that they work toward buying a house together after she visits her hometown. As they approach the pier, shamans perform a ritual and Ms. Choi joins, dancing.

As Sun-seok leaves, a gigantic hand rises from the horizon and grows closer until only the palm is visible. Sun-seok screams as the scene cuts to credits.