The Tale of Nokdu

Nok Du, who is living on a small island, witnesses his father and brother get attacked by a group of assassins. He decides to leave home and find out who they are and work for. He follows the leads and arrives in Hanyang. At a market, he runs into a man who plans a terror attack on the King. However, they soon get arrested because of an incident at the market.

Nok Du disguises as a woman and enters the village where only widows are allowed to live. Fortunately, no one is suspicious of Nok Du yet. He finds out that there's a gisaeng house right next to the widow village. When Nok Du finally finds the female assassin that he has been looking for, a group of widows takes him somewhere. 

At night, Nok Du happens to overhear the conversation of a group of widows who look like trained assassins. Nok Du starts to follow one of them into the woods. Meanwhile, Nok Du's father and brother move from the island to the mainland. Yun Jeo, Nok Du's father, decides to go to Hanyang to take care of unfinished business

Nok Du and Dong Joo become close. Nok Du helps out Dong Joo when she is having a hard time because of her injured hands. Dong Joo says that she wants to treat Nok Du like an older sister. Nok Du happens to see a shaman and widows performing a religious ceremony, and he thinks that the widows are scheming something. 

Dong Ju realizes that Nok Du has been pretending to be Lady Kim so far. Nok Du persuades Dong Ju to let him stay in the village. The widows talk about a man who sneaked into the village last night, and they plan to catch him by making a composite sketch of him. Nok Du decides to give the widows misleading information about the man to confuse them.

Dong Ju hears a rumor about the man who broke into the village the other day. She realizes that it is not a good idea to let Nok Du stay in the village. She asks Nok Du to leave the village. Meanwhile, Nok Du finds out that a group of widows is planning to kill someone, and he makes a deal with the widows. 

Nok Du decides to help Dong Joo so she doesn't have to be a gisaeng. Nok Du gives up the mission that the widows of Muweol Corps gave him. He goes to meet Lady Chun with an idea that can help Dong Joo. Meanwhile, the widows of Muweol Corps agree to give Nok Du the second chance and order him to complete another mission.

Dong Joo keeps being reminded of her childhood and family after she came to Hanyang. She visits the house she used to live when she was a child. That's when she runs into Yul Mu. And Nok Du happens to watch them have a chat from afar. Nok Du manages to complete his mission, but he hears that the real Lady Kim and her servant got caught.

Nok Du returns to the village for widows with Dong Joo and Yul Mu after completing his mission in Hanyang. However, the widows and gisaengs in the village think that Nok Du likes Yul Mu. Meanwhile, Yun Jeo and Hwang Tae see that a group of assassins are in front of their place. They start to run away from the assassins.

Nok Du is curious about who Dong Joo likes. He asks her who it is, but she never tells him. Nok Du decides to tell Dong Joo his feelings for her, but Dong Joo tries to keep her distance from Nok Du. Meanwhile, when Aeng Du is with Yul Mu, she lets out Nok Du's secret before she realizes it.

Yul Mu finds out that Nok Du has been pretending to be a woman all this time and that Dong Joo has been looking out for Nok Du. Yul Mu wants to know if Dong Joo has feelings for Nok Du. And Nok Du tells Dong Joo that he will make her fall in love with him. Meanwhile, Prince Yeongchang is forced to leave the palace.

After the widows of Muweol Corps left for Hanyang to kill the local functionary, Nok Du and Lady Chun find out that the widows are in a trap. Lady Chun asks Nok Du to go help out the widows, and that's how Nok Du becomes a member of Muweol Corps. Meanwhile, Heo Yun and other noblemen are plotting conspiracy, but suddenly Yul Mu shows up. 

Heo Yun and his fellows think that the King might have noticed about their plan, so Heo Yun orders the widows of Muweol Corps to move their base. And Heo Yun encounters Hwang Tae. Meanwhile, Nok Du happens to overhear the conversation between Dong Joo and Yul Mu, and finds out that Dong Joo is planning to leave.

Nok Du meets Hwang Tae at Yul Mu's house. Nok Du insists that he and Hwang Tae should hurry and leave the place, but Hwang Tae refuses. Instead, Hwang Tae tells Nok Du a big secret about his birth. Meanwhile, Yul Mu orders a gang of thugs to kill everyone in the village for widows. Dong Joo finds out that the village for widows is on fire. She goes there to help people. 

Because of the attack by Yul Mu's underlings, the village for widows is destroyed and many widows get injured or killed. Nok Du risks his life and helps the widows without disguising himself. Nok Du is also seriously injured and faints. When he wakes up, he realizes that Dong Joo has left without saying goodbye.

In Hanyang, Dong Joo is trying to get a job in the palace by bribing court ladies. One day, a court lady asks Dong Joo to find a man for her. Dong Joo manages to find a man who matches the description. Meanwhile, Nok Du visits Heo Yun again. Heo Yun takes Nok Du to the room where Yun Jeo is staying. 

When the widows of the Muweol Corps are confused and want to find out who is behind the death of Lady Chun, Yul Mu tells them that it was Heo Yun's order. He also suggests that the widows help him to create a new world. Meanwhile, Nok Do tells Dong Joo that he will never let her leave him again until she pays back what she owes him.

When Nok Du and Dong Joo are walking on the streets, an old lady stares at Dong Joo as if she knows Dong Joo. And Nok Du and Dong Joo run into the King again. The three of them go hiking to relieve the King's insomnia. Meanwhile, Yul Mu tails Hwang Tae to find out if he meets with Nok Du without knowing that it is a trap set by Nok Du. 

Nok Du finally meets the King at the palace and is assigned to assist a senior chief administrative officer. Meanwhile, Heo Yun visits the King to warn that Yul Mu should not be trusted and is plotting treason. However, the King doesn't believe him, and he soon realizes that he has already been set up by Yul Mu.

Heo Yun continues trying to convince that Yul Mu is plotting treason, the King still doesn't believe him. Nok Du runs into the Queen in the palace and notices that she is wearing the same jewel as the one he possesses. Meanwhile, Dong Joo is chased by a group of thugs, and she ends up falling into the well. 

The King pays his visit to Heo Yun who is imprisoned in the dungeon, but this time, the King comes with Yul Mu, Hwang Tae, and two widows. Hwang Tae and the widows make the false testimony to make Heo Yun a traitor. Meanwhile, Dong Joo finally gets a job at the palace. Nok Du visits her workplace and helps her work. 

Yul Mu finally finds Dong Joo in the palace. He tries to take her somewhere, but Nok Du stops him. Meanwhile, Yun Jeo and the Queen secretly meet in a private house. Yun Jeo tells that the Queen's son is still alive and that she should protect him from the King. Then, the door is opened, and an uninvited guest comes into the house. 

Jung Yun Jeo is taken to the prison, and Dong Joo is shocked that the Chief Administrative Officer is the King. The King begins to torture Yun Jeo. Every time he aims the sword at Yun Jeo, he keeps seeing the face of Yun, which makes him pass out.

Nok Du plans with Sook to steal the Merit List from Grand Prince Neungyang. In hopes of ruining the plan, Nok Du goes to see the King with the Merit List. When Nok Du sees the King and Yun Jeo in prison, he happens to hear what's truly on the King's mind. Meanwhile, Dong Joo hears from Grand Prince Neungyang that Nok Du is the son of the King whom she wishes to kill. 

Dong Joo finds out that Nok Du is the boy, the biological son of the King she's been despising for her life. Knowing the consequences that could be brought upon them, she ponders their relationship. Meanwhile, Nok Du is promoted as the Royal Guard and is ordered to stay by the King at all times. 

Nok Du spreads the rumors around the town about the King and himself. He plans to murder the King and undo the injustices that were caused due to him being alive. Dong Joo also plans to not hide. Therefore she decides to end her relationship with Nok Du. 

Dong Joo escapes from the palace and moves alone to kill the King. Meanwhile, Nok Du escorts the King to his way to the shrines. One night, the King offers a drink to Nok Du. He honestly shares his true feelings of loss in never being loved by his own father.

The revolting army takes away the castle. Everyone seems to be after the King, but the King himself just realizes that his trusted royal guard is Nok Du. Enraged with betrayal, the King goes out in the middle of the night to search for Nok Du. However, he encounters Dong Joo. 

Dong Joo and Nok Du share their honest feelings toward each other. They promise to be together despite their complicated family history. Nok Du takes off to fight against the revolt led by Grand Prince Neungyang. Nok Du stands in front of the whole army and makes it known he's the son the King abandoned. 

Dong Joo can't sit still and wait for Nok Du. She gathers her things and sets off to the palace to see how things are going. She enters the palace to see Neungyang aiming at Nok Du and throws herself in front of his arrow. The battle continues and surprising news is shared throughout the palace. The King is back alive.

Nok Du and Dong Joo manage to get out of the palace thanks to the Queen's help. Yul Mu and his men go after Nok Du and Dong Joo. However, Nok Du and Dong Joo end up being surrounded by Yul Mu's armed forces. In order to save Nok Du who is badly injured, Dong Joo decides to stay with Yul Mu. In return, she asks Yul Mu to tell the King that Nok Du has died.

Nok Du volunteers to keep working with the widows. And the wedding ceremony for Nok Du and Dong Joo is held. Every resident on the island comes to celebrate the couple. Nine years later, Yul Mu raises a revolt and takes away the throne. The Queen is sent to the island where Nok Du and Dong Joo live.