Plot Summary:Soul mate minstrels Jang-sang and Gong-gil eke out a living in 14th century Korea through bawdy stories presented in a tightrope act; however, sexual interests of the rich over Gong-gil's androgynous looks impair their basic desire to entertain once too often. A line is crossed, an authority figure dies, and the pair must flee to Seoul. They soon take up with a trio of fellow minstrels and, lead by Jang-sang, present riskier shows that prove more lucrative; but, a scathing exhibition satirizing the king and his concubine puts them under arrest with a set date for execution. Forced to present themselves to the king for final judgment, they surprisingly wind up becoming his court performers, but the tyrannical king, though sensitive and intelligent, is also excessive and psychologically scarred, with the minstrel shows putting him uncomfortably in touch with buried issues over his dead mother (long ago forced to commit suicide by the court). This makes him dangerously unstable. The alarmed nobles, wanting the minstrels gone, find support from the king's mistress after the king's infatuation turns from her to Gong-gil. Longevity definitely isn't what it once was, and Jang-sang feels they all ought to high-tail it while they can, but Gong-gil, though unwaveringly allegiant, feels differently.
朝鲜第十代王燕山王君时期,艺人长生(甘宇成饰)和孔吉(李俊基饰)因为不肯加入当地的艺人团,来到京城汉阳谋生。此时暴君燕山君(郑镇荣饰)沉迷于宠妾张绿水(姜成妍饰),朝纲混乱,民不聊生。 长生与孔吉二人在街头开始表演讽刺君主的喜剧,大受欢迎,却遭逮捕。后要求到王面前表演,求得一笑。结果,多亏孔吉的急中生智,燕山君才笑了出来。两人随即被留在宫中取乐,孔吉更是因为美色令王倍加宠爱。他们不停表演,大臣们却各自心怀鬼胎,导致了杀戮局面。最终,君王和艺人的命运又将如何呢?