The film depicts the reality of Joseon at the time through the conflict between the old and the new generation and the ethics between father and son. Park No-in (Yoon Bong-chun) is a boatman who believes in his profession. He intends to pass the ferry he inherited from his ancestors to his son (Lee Geum-ryong). But he doesn't want to be a boatman. When his father's compulsion grows stronger, one night he goes out alone to the riverside, caresses the oar stained by his father's hands, and then abruptly leaves.