A young Japanese actress looks back on her childhood during wartime in Korea. Her father leaves to fight, her baby sister Miko dies from typhoid, and her beloved Korean maid Ohana is dismissed after a mistake that nearly costs Chiko her life. Gradually, Chiko comes to understand that Japan rules the country and that Koreans face persecution. When the war ends, the Koreans drive out the Japanese, and the roles are reversed. Now Chiko’s family is unwanted. Then the Russians arrive, and everything changes. They must burn all photographs to avoid any suspicion—even Miko’s picture. But when the Russians come to their house, they decide to escape across the 38th Parallel toward freedom. A group of men, women, and children struggles through the mountains, guided by the light of the North Star. Along the way, they meet a Korean man who, despite having lost his own family to the Japanese, is willing to help them evade the Russian soldiers.
