Soo-sam, a farmer, deserts his farm after the flood and leaves for Seoul to become rickshaw puller. When he has cannot afford his wife's medical fees, he resorts to stealing from people and gets thrown in jail. After being released from prison, he finds out that his wife has been having an affair with another man and is devastated. He decides to go back home with his daughter and gets a job rowing ferryboats. 10 years later, a steel bridge is built over the bridge that ferries used to cross and Soo-sam loses his job. When the architect for the bridge even tries to molest his daughter, Soo-sam fights the architect to death in rage. Afterwards he is hit by a train while trying to take the bridge down. His daughter also meets her death when the lamp in her room falls over, setting the whole house on fire. On the riverbank, his ferry floats on the water looking lost without an owner…