Nam-yi Park Hae-il and his sister Ja-in Moon Chae-won grow up on the run after a perilous escape from King Injo’s guards. Their father, Choi Pyeong-ryung, a skilled archer and loyal officer of King Gwanghae, fights to shield them and sends them toward safety with his longtime ally Kim Mu-seon Lee Kyung-young. As they flee, Ja-in begs Nam-yi to turn back, but tragedy strikes when their father is killed right before Nam-yi’s eyes. Nam-yi, though scarred by dog bites, refuses to give up and escapes with Ja-in into the unknown.
Thirteen years pass, and Nam-yi has become a seasoned hunter and archer, leading a small band that includes Gang-du, Gab-yong Lee Han-wi, and Seo-goon Kim Moo-yul. Seo-goon reveals that he and Ja-in intend to marry, with Kim Mu-seon’s blessing. The quiet life is shattered when Manchu forces threaten the wedding, forcing Nam-yi to rush back to the village. There, he discovers that his foster father has been slain and Ja-in has been taken away. Determined to rescue his sister, Nam-yi sets out across dangerous terrain to find the Qing army and reclaim Ja-in, who is believed to have been taken to the camp of Manchu prince Dorgon Park Ki-woong.
The pursuit intensifies as the Qing royal guard, led by Jyu Shin-ta Ryu Seung-ryong, closes in on Nam-yi. Seo-goon and the others are captured and forced to march toward Manchuria, but Seo-goon and Nam-yi manage a defiant stand just long enough for Ja-in to be found alive. In a bold strike, Nam-yi captures the Manchu prince, douses him with alcohol, and uses him as leverage to secure a window for Ja-in and Seo-goon to escape. He then sets the prince’s tent ablaze, throwing the camp into chaos and buying precious time for his companions. Jyu Shin-ta arrives at daybreak to confront the chaos and pursue Nam-yi across rugged terrain.
Two loyal comrades, Gab-yong [Lee Han-wi] and Gang-du, sacrifice themselves to slow the pursuers and give Nam-yi a chance to slip away. At a perilous gorge, Nam-yi makes a daring leap and wards off several attackers, killing a few of them but missing the chance to finish Jyu Shin-ta. The chase continues, with Seo-goon and Ja-in intercepted by a pair of manhunters who are swiftly killed. Wounded in the arm, Nam-yi draws a cunning plan, luring a tiger to strike at his pursuers and buying more time for the escape.
As Nam-yi narrows his lead, he anticipates Jyu Shin-ta’s position and improvises a final ambush. Yet a last-minute act of mercy from one of Jyu Shin-ta’s men saves the warlord, turning the tide and forcing Nam-yi to retreat once more. Believing the danger is past, Nam-yi heads to the rendezvous hut to reunite with Ja-in, only to witness Ja-in’s fear as she spots Jyu Shin-ta aiming at Nam-yi from a cliff. In a desperate gambit, Ja-in shoots the horse to topple Nam-yi, sending him plunging to the ground.
Facing off in a tense stand, Nam-yi’s arrow barely grazes Ja-in’s dress, but Jyu Shin-ta’s shot finds its mark in Nam-yi’s heart. As he lies dying, Nam-yi urges Ja-in to return to their old home in Hanyang. Ja-in wraps him in her arms and places him in a boat, while Seo-goon helps them cross the river back toward their homeland. In the end, the two lovers—bound by duty, sacrifice, and a hard-won love—face a future where memory and homeward longing push them toward a difficult, hopeful reunion.
