Five friends gathered together in Naruteo Restaurant. They came from all walks of life— Choi Jin the Diplomat, Dr. White the Physician, Sun Gu Ja the Policeman, Jeon Yak Soo the young Chef, and Bae Noh Ja the Merchant—but they found common ground in their care for their community, the large and prosperous town of Gyuam which sat on the banks of the Baekmagang River.

But on this night in the summer of 1961, rumors swirled of a rare and gruesome occurrence. A beautiful young woman from out of town had been found dead by the riverbank. The Chef related what he had overheard from the patrons to his other four friends.

As it turned out, the Physician was in charge of the autopsy of the dead woman. Unfortunately, the body was in a bad state, so little could be discovered about the cause of death. But the Physician found an expensive wristwatch clutched by the woman’s hand. It had stopped around 1 o’clock, presumably in the twilight hours shortly after the woman’s death.

The Policeman tried to ask around for information about the local fisherman. But few were willing to get involved in the investigation, except for one old man who told of a couple that he had spotted by the riverbank on the evening before the woman’s body was discovered.

Meanwhile, the Merchant had learned that one of his customers, a wealthy businessman, had recently lost a wristwatch after lending it to a friend. The businessman’s friend had visited the local movie theater on the night before the woman’s death, where his wristwatch had been stolen. That was the same wristwatch that was found in the dead woman’s hand.

Having run into a dead end, the Physician decided to move the woman’s body to a hospital in a larger city, so that it might be better preserved in their facilities. On the day when the body was to be transported out of town from the police station, the whole town gathered around the place. The five friends were also here, keeping a look out for anyone who appeared suspicious.

It was here that the Diplomat overheard a young man speaking in Japanese. The youth was reciting lines from a samurai movie which the Diplomat had recognized. He appeared to be highly distressed at the sight of the woman’s body, covered as it was, being transported out of town. Growing suspicious, the Diplomat and his friends confronted the young man, who turned out to be an usher at the local movie theater.

It was soon revealed that the young man was the one who had stolen the businessman’s watch in an attempt to impress the young woman from out of town. They walked together along the riverbank. But when he tried to get closer to her, she rejected his advances. Growing angry and desperate, he tried to grab her, and a scuffle ensued in which the woman tore the watch from the young man’s wrist. 

Tragically, the woman was killed, and the usher threw her body into the river, hoping that the water would hide his awful deed. But his foul act was discovered in the end. The townspeople were relieved that the murder mystery had been solved at last.