The Lotus

In Korea, an orphaned young man dreams of becoming a singer but fails repeatedly at auditions. Meanwhile, 500 years earlier in Joseon, a courtesan’s daughter who plays the zither for a living discovers a mask resembling her own face. When both put on their masks at the same moment, they are transported to a “Third World” music studio, where they recognize each other and fall in love across dimensions.

Guided by her father, the woman sails under a red moon and crosses from Joseon into Korea, where she finally unites with the young man in reality. But when she learns her father is in danger, she returns to Joseon, sacrifices her freedom to save him, and bears the young man’s child while enduring ten years as the concubine of a corrupt official.

On another night under the red moon, she attempts to escape with her father and son, but in the pursuit both she and her father give their lives so that only her son can cross into Korea. At a concert, the young man encounters the boy and sees a vision of the woman once more.