In postwar, poverty-stricken Rome, a man, hoping to support his desperate family with a new job, loses his bicycle and main means of transportation to work. With his wide-eyed young son in tow, he sets off to track down the thief.

In Seoul, an American army doctor forces his assistant to dump bottle after bottle of formaldehyde into the drain. The drain runs into the Han River, the major river running through the middle of Seoul. His only reason is that the bottles are covered with a layer of dust. Six years later, a food cart operator, Gang-du falls asleep every time his dad, Hie-bong, is away from the stand for more than a few minutes. Soon, his daughter, Hyun-Seo returns...