'Our sorrow was conceived long before our birth...'

When sisters Su-mi (Lim Soo-jeong) and Su-yeon (Mun Geun-yeong) return home from a sanitarium having supposedly recovered their health, their stepmother Eun-joo (Yum Jung-ah) welcomes them back. However, elder sister Su-mi intentionally avoids her and younger sibling Su-yeon shows a smack of fear for her.

Soon, strange things begin to happen in the house. Footsteps are heard and Eun-joo's birds are mysteriously poisoned. Assuming Su-yeon is behind the inauspicious incidents, the stepmother locks her in the closet, and when Su-mi learns about the cruel punishment, conflict between the stepmother and two sisters becomes more bitter than ever...

Based on the classic Korean folk tale 'Janghwa, Hongryeon', Kim Ji-woon's accomplished chiller is a uniquely lush addition to the best of Asian cinema.