The two end up making love, under the pretext of preparing Hideko for her married life with the Count. Returning frustrated from a reading, Hideko demands Sook-hee sleep next to her. Sook-hee's main job is to help Hideko prepare to read for Kouzuki's guests. Kouzuki then uses this wealth to feed his obsession with rare books, selling forgeries to further accumulate money and books. Hideko lives with her Uncle Kouzuki, a Korean man who helped the Japanese take over his country in exchange for a gold mine. He hires a pickpocket named Sook-hee to become Hideko's maid and encourage Hideko to marry him. In Japanese-occupied Korea, a con man operating under the sobriquet of 'Count Fujiwara' plans to seduce a Japanese heiress named Lady Hideko, then marry her and commit her to an asylum in order to steal her inheritance.
