A complex, dark romance, and a heart-racing police procedural all at once, The Tooth and the Nail starts like a Hollywood film of old: in a world where no one and nothing are what they seem, two lost souls find each other only for their secrets to tragically force themselves apart. It’s 1948 in Korea and after a long period of colonial rule, the country is finally free. But the Liberation has also brought chaos and many uncertainties. Seok-jin, a small-club magician, comes across a mysterious beauty, Ha-yeon, who is seeking help and employment. The young man is happy to oblige the damsel in distress and gives her work as an assistant in his show. Soon, they fall for each other. But a shadow looms over the idyll: Seok-jin finds copper plates designed to produce counterfeit money hidden in her baggage. Ha-yeon, it turns out, may hide, even darker secrets.