Here, everyone is poor, local customs carry weight and children spend leisurely days swimming and chasing after fumigating trucks. Living in this town are four boys of diverse backgrounds, innocent and still ignorant of how their fates are destined to cross. Given the description of the four characters above, anyone who is familiar with the local movie industry can probably predict where the story is gonna go. What fascination Koreans have for this cliche plot is no mystery, of course. Such a story usually offers a good blend of favorite fiction ingredients like friendship, betrayal, violence and a tragic ending.
Various incidents help define the characters, all of whom turn out disappointingly stereotypical.
These boys are best friends and each other's bodyguards. This is illustrated best in their high school days. The turning point in this happy film also signals the fall of the film, however. The narrative then fast-forwards a few years and the tragedy made necessary by the script begins. It is now 1990 and Joon-sok is head of the gang that his father led until his death.