In Hwayeon Dynasty, 1866, during a period of Catholic persecution, a boy named Moomyeong is born to a butcher. Abandoned and trampled on, he lives a harsh life, earning the moniker "Dog-like Scoundrel" because he'll do any dirty deed to survive.
His animalistic existence is upended when Eunhak, a young master who secretly practices Catholicism, seeks him out. Moomyeong's slaughterhouse soon becomes a forbidden place of worship.
This is the tale of a child who, no matter how much he was defiled and broken, simply wanted to live. It's a cruel and sorrowful love story that blossoms on the boundary between salvation and destruction.