Han Byung-Tae is now an English teacher at an institute for college entrance examinations.  His age is around 40.  One day he receives an obituary notice of his old teacher Mr. Choe.  Now he recollects his memory of his school days 30 years ago at a small city in the countryside.  The movie starts with his memory. 
About 30 years ago, Han’s father was a government official in Seoul.  One day his father is transferred to a small city in the countryside.  Byung-Tae enters the 5th grade of a primary school there.  Byung-Tae wants to demonstrate his superiority as he attended a famous school in Seoul.  But it does not work out.  Class monitor Um Suk-Dae acts as a tyrant in the class.  Um appears higher than Mr. Choe, the teacher in charge of the class.  Byung-Tae respects the equality of human beings.  So he tries to challenge the authority of Suk-Dae to change the environment of the class.  But, Byung-Tae fails and experiences a lot of hardship.  Byung-Tae tries to beat Suk-Dae by working hard.  That does not work out either. 
Byung-Tae gives up resistance to Suk-Dae after all.  Suk-Dae treats Byung-Tae very well.  Byung-Tae becomes a faithful minister to Suk-Dae’s kingdom.  In 1960, Mr. Kim Chong-Won is appointed as the new teacher in charge of Byung-Tae’s class.  Mr. Kim is young and a man of spirit.  Mr. Kim teaches that everyone is created equally, and Honesty, Truth and Courage are the most important to our life.  Mr. Kim denies the authority of Suk-Dae in the class.  Suk-Dae feels that he can not act as a tyrant any more.  Suk-Dae is in agony.  Finally, Suk-Dae leaves the school.  And Byung-Tae comes back to Seoul as his father is transferred there. 
Byung-Tae is now a middle-aged man and feels like meeting Suk-Dae again at Mr. Choe’s funeral ceremony.  Byung-Tae attends the ceremony and he encounters trace of Suk-Dae, and Kim who stirred up a revolution in that class.  Kim now has a twisted face.  Byung-Tae reconfirms that our twisted hero is here around us just like the hero who was in that classroom 30 years ago. 

<AWARDS> 
 -Montreal World Film Festival ’92  : Producer Award 
 -Hawaii International Film Festival ’92 : East-West Center Award (Best Picture)