In Japanese-occupied Korea in 1925, Chun Man-duk, a revered hunter, lives with his teenage son, Seok, in a hut near Jirisan. Following a tragic accident in which he killed his beloved wife, he has retired his rifle and become a humble herb gatherer limping amongst his cherished mountains. The Japanese governor-general overseeing the occupation gathers tiger pelts as a hobby of seeming cultural dominance, and soon becomes obsessed with killing possibly the last remaining tiger in Korea, an enormous one-eyed male that lives on the mountain and has killed scores of hunters. The tiger is known locally in hushed tones as Mountain Lord, and locals fear its demise will bring wolves and boars return because of its absence. Gu-kyung is the resolute but ruthless leader of a band of Korean hunters that attempt to track and kill the tiger for the bounty, including by killing its mate and two cubs and using them for bait.