1930s Korea is under the control of the Japanese empire. Young maid Sookee is hired by Hideko, a reclusive heiress who lives in a sprawling mansion under the watchful eye of her domineering Uncle Kouzuki. But Sookee harbours a secret: she has been recruited by Fujiwara, a scheming con artist posing as a Japanese Count, to trick Hideko into entrusting him with her fortune. However, when Sookee and Hideko develop unexpected feelings for each other, more double-crossing comes into play.
Navigating a complex labyrinthine series of twists, this deliciously deceptive thriller puts a wholly original queer psychological spin on the period drama. From filmmaking provocateur Park Chan-wook (Stoker), this ingenious South Korean transposing of the Victorian Britain set novel Fingersmith by Sarah Waters is cinema at its most sumptuously stylish and slyly subversive.