Introduction: Back in the feudal Chosun Dynasty of ancient Korean was a profession for women known as “Damo”. The “Damo” were treated no better than humble slaves in the society because of their low social status but in their capacity as policewomen, were privileged to enter the ladies’ private chambers and question high society ladies, whom men were not not permitted to approach.
This drama centres around the life of Damo, Chae-ok. Of noble birth, Chae-ok is made a slave at seven because her father was accused of treason. In an attempt to escape, she was separated from her brother and mother, captured and sent to the Hwangbo residence to serve as a lowly servant. There, she is assigned to serve the young master, Hwangbo Yoon.
Hwangbo Yoon, born out of the concubine of an honourable man, is caught between the social classes and looked down upon by others of his fatherÂ’s standing. When Yoon is sent to seclusion to train with a highly skilled master, Chae-ok goes along and learns from him. Hwangbo Yoon yearns to achieve more than what society permits him to. He is in love with Chae-ok but they are from two different classes. YoonÂ’s father, on his deathbed, orders Yoon never to choose Chae-ok as his partner because she is the daughter of a disgraced family.
Highly skilled with the sword, prejudiced by society, unconventional in her methology, Chae-ok finds life unbearable. After being separated from her brother and mother, Yoon is her closest kin. They share a complex relationship and Yoon is also the commander of the police unit she works under. She makes it her sole motivation in life to help Yoon achieve his ambitions, even at the expense of her life. While she loves him as well, she knows nothing good can ever come out of it.
A case of money counterfeiting by a gang of bandits turns out to be something more serious and Chae-ok is sent to infiltrate the gang. She eventually meets and finds herself drawn to Jang Sung-baek, their charismatic leader. Jang Sung-baek himself is unable to understand the attraction he feels for her and tries to convince her to join them. Chae-ok finds herself torn – she cannot betray her loyalty to Yoon and turn against the law for Sung-baek, yet she is unable to hand him over to the authorities. Chae-ok and Yoon soon come to realise that Sung-baek is not a common bandit but the leader of a rebel army training to overthrow the Emperor – to bring down the caste system and to create a new world for the people.
Sung-baek knows he has to forget Chae-ok or ruin his dream of freeing the people from a corrupted world; Chae-ok resolves to arrest Sung-baek to redeem herself for betraying Yoon. Yoon, however, sees Chae-ok slipping away from him and unleashes his feelings for her with heart-breaking consequences. As the men confront their destinies, more turmoil arises, much larger than either could have imagined. Caught in the middle, Chae-ok must fulfil her own destiny and become the legendary lady detective – Damo!
Cast: Jang Chae-ok Â… Ha Ji-won Commander Hwangbo Yoon Â… Lee Suh-jin Jang Sung-baek Â… Kim Min-joon Ma Chook-ji Â… Lee Moon-sik Lee Won-hae Â… Kwon Oh-joong Baek Jo-wan Â… Lee Han-wee
