Born at the end of the Chosun Dynasty, Lim Geok-jeong fights against the corruption of the upper classes and develops a reputataion of being sympathetic to the plights of the peasantry
King Kong-min tried to govern the country wisely but, after the death of his wife, he neglects hs state duties. Most of the important decisions to be made fall to the king's retainer Shin Dong, who is more interested in women than politics and the kingdom soon falls into chaos.
In 1884, conflicts arose between two factions in the king's court. One group wanted to maintain the trade treaties with China while the other wanted Korea to ally with Japan. As the confusion becomes more severe, Kim Ok-hyeon takes adavantage of the chaos to declare himself king.
