Mrs. Han, the daughter-in-law of the Kim family, becomes a widow when her young husband comes of age and begins a relationship with Seong-chil, a servant. Mrs. Han becomes pregnant with Seong-chil's child, and upon learning this, Mr. Kim expels Seong-chil and the newborn. Twenty years later, their son Yong-gil, now a young man, comes to find his mother, Mrs. Han, but she sends him away without even being able to call him. This is because the moral notion that 'a widow must live in chastity' had taken root in Mrs. Han's mind.