[ Prologue ]

Surrounded by children, Mago unfolds the story of Gaaon.

The whole world was covered in darkness, and people were miserably waiting to meet their end. Just then, a brilliant light emerged penetrating the darkness. People started to feel hope for life, but those whose greed and selfishness were exposed under the light hid themselves and disappeared into the darkness. However, the joy of deliverance didn’t last long. Even in the bright world, people still hated each other as well as themselves. And God created another sun to punish their sins. People painfully writhed under the heat and suffered.

Then there came along Maru, the son of God, who shot the second sun down with his bow and saved people from their misery. He built a nation and named it Gaaon. The second sun fell into the East Sea, and people started to call it Gumeunsae. The people of Gaaon live on believing that the Maaru-haans, the descendents of God’s bloodline, and the Gumeunsae guard and protect them from the enemies.

Hundreds of years have passed, and the story of Chansol, the Maaru-haan of Gaaon, unfolds.

[ Scene 1 ]

The elders urge Chansol to hurry his wedding with Soi, who is ordained by the oracle to become a Maaru-haan’s mate. However, when Chansol announces his will not to marry her, they criticize him, arguing that he, as a Maaru-haan, is defying the will of God by not obeying the divine oracle.

Meanwhile, the elders strongly oppose Baeksoon’s intention to attack and destroy Buru, the tribe that had invaded Gaaon a decade before. They argue against Baeksoon, finding excuses in Gaaon’s poor economic condition and the state of the people, who are suffering from poverty and a hard life. However, seeing through their lame excuses, Chansol orders the elders to relieve the poor people by giving out their own wealth and riches, which had been gleaned from people’s sweat and blood in the first place. And because of this, the elders hold grudges against Baeksoon and Chansol.

Baeksoon continually insists that Gaaon should avenge the tragic death of the late Maaru-haan by destroying Buru, but Chansol declares that he will not fight Buru, telling Baeksoon that war is not the right way to protect Gaaon. However, Baeksoon perceives Chansol as indecisive and weak as a Maaru-haan.

Galmae tries to persuade Chansol to take back his word and marry Soi, but Chansol won’t change his mind.

Chansol is afraid that the rage and sorrow of losing his parents, which is still locked away in his heart, might betray his will to keep peace. However, Chansol vows to himself to protect Gaaon by embracing all the pain and firmly holding to his way.

[ Scene 2 ]

The elders have been exploiting the peasants, taking advantage of the distance between Maaru-haan and the people of Gaaon. However, as Chansol strongly sets on his will to relieve his people of their financial burden and, accordingly, the elders have no choice but to distribute their wealth, they desperately seek a way out. While spreading the word that Maaru-haan is avoiding the divine marriage and thus creating distrust toward him among the people, they secretly plot to invent an oracle that the present Maaru-haan will die and a new Maaru-haan will arise and replace him. Moreover, they finally make a secret treaty with Buru to hand over Gumeunsae in return for assassinating Chansol.

[ Scene 3 ]

Iheeden, the king of Buru announces a war with Gaaon, laying bare his ambition to override Gaaon by extorting its land and history, and ultimately, to dominate over the world.

[ Scene 4 ]

Chansol meets Ajin, who is playing the pipe in front of the altar of Gumeunsae, and finds himself laughing aloud, which he has long forgotten how to do.

Iheeden and Suri’s men, appear and tries to assassinate Chansol. Though he fights back, Chansol is forced to drop his sword when Ajin, Sandeul, and Sinae are taken as hostages. Iheeden strikes Chansol a fatal blow with his poisoned sword and ridicules him by telling him that he is the one who killed Chansol’s parents.

Just then, Galmae and the soldiers find Chansol and chase after Iheeden and his men but fail to do capture them. Seriously wounded, Chansol hands over to Galmae the mask that he has used to hide his scar from ten years ago and asks him to be a Maaru-haan and protect Gaaon with Baeksoon.

[ Scene 5 ]

Although the late Maaru-haan had taken Galmae from a battlefield and raised him as his own son, Baeksoon feels uneasy about Galmae’s being the Maaru-haan since his origin might not be of Gaaon. Galmae persuades Baeksoon by telling him that he will make recompense for the late Maaru-haan’s generosity by doing his best to fight those who are threatening the peace of Gaaon. In order to avoid the suspicions of the elders, Baeksoon urges Galmae to keep silent about Chansol’s bare survival and tells Soi that Chansol is dead. He also orders Galmae to disguise himself as Chansol, arguing that those who are not of God’s bloodline cannot be a Maaru-haan no matter what. Furthermore, he insists that Galmae should marry Soi as a Maaru-haan in order to avoid the elders’ and people’s accusations that he is going against the divine oracle. While Soi deeply grieves over the shockingly painful news, Galmae watches her in dismay and sings his sorrowful love toward her.

[ Scene 6 ]

Haram tries to stop Chansol from hurriedly going to Gaaon Castle and pleads with him to value human life, which is the most important thing. Ajin also suggests that forgiveness can be a way to undo the situation, but Chansol argues that forgiveness alone can’t stop Buru’s sordid ambition and that it doesn’t change the fact that Buru is not only his parents’ but also Gaaon’s enemy.

Although Ajin, like Chansol, had lost her parents ten years before from Buru’s invasion, she appeases Chansol with her warmth and cheerfulness. She also entreats him to look closely into people’s lives and care for them since they are the ultimate victims of the war.

[ Scene 7 ]

Baeksoon announces to the elders that there has been undeniable evidence of Buru’s scheme to invade Gaaon and delivers Maaru-haan’s decision to wage war against Buru if necessary. Since they were informed of Maaru-haan’s fatal wound, the elders don’t believe Baeksoon. However, when Galmae appears in Maaru-haan’s crown and mask, they are taken aback. Baeksoon informs the elders that their private soldiers will be drafted under central command and orders them to send all their tribute as military provisions within five days.

Soi feels uneasy about Baeksoon’s coercive measures. Although Baeksoon wishes to announce the wedding ceremony as soon as possible in order to prevent any possible retaliation by the elders, Galmae cannot do so since Chansol is still alive.

Seeing that Soi is hesitating over the wedding, Galmae confesses to her that Chansol is alive and that he couldn’t tell her the truth before since he and Baeksoon had to deceive the suspicious elders. However, Soi receives a deep shock at the realization that she herself could be a threat to Chansol.

Lest the elders find out that he is a fake, Galmae intentionally stabs himself to make a scar identical to Chansol’s and prays to God that he can protect Gaaon and Maaru-haan.