In 1867, Shin Jae-hyo leads the Dongrijungsa which teaches pansori (traditional Korean musical storytelling). A young girl, Chae-sun, who wants to perform pansori, appears in front of him. Chae-sun has dreamed of performing pansori since she first heard Shin Jae-hyo perform when she was little, but Shin Jae-hyo turns her down because women are not allowed to perform pansori. Chae-sun then disguises herself as a man and enters the Dongrijungsa to learn pansori, but Shin Jae-hyo doesn’t accept her as his student. One day, he hears Daewongun, the most powerful man in Joseon and the father of the King, is going to hold a national competition of pansori performers known as