This epic novel is by author Jo Jung-rae, who introduced the true face of Korea's modern history to 15 million readers through his celebrated trilogy of Korean modern and contemporary history—Taebaek Mountains, Arirang, and The Han River. Following his novels Jungle Man-ri (3 volumes) and Even Wildflowers Are Flowers (2 volumes), each released three years apart, this latest work continues that pattern, arriving exactly three years later. As he has done every day for the 49 years since his literary debut in 1970, the author devoted 11 hours a day to writing this novel. Written entirely by hand in pen on manuscript paper printed with his name, the work totals 3,612 manuscript pages, supported by more than 130 research notebooks filled with notes and sketches. Through this novel, the author poses a fundamental and urgent question that anyone who has lived as part of a nation—a question humanity has likely asked for thousands of years since the dawn of civilization—might ask: 'What does the nation mean to its people?' Drawing on both Eastern and Western scholarship that seeks to define the true nature of the state, the author explores the meaning and value of nationhood from political, economic, social, and cultural perspectives. He also conducted in-depth interviews with figures from all walks of Korean society, illuminating diverse perspectives on the nation in the 21st century from multiple angles. The novel vividly portrays modern Koreans in 21st-century Korea, caught up in capital and power as their desires grow unchecked. It depicts the struggles of a reporter whose paycheck reads '0 won' every month as she fights to uncover the truth behind a case; the anguish of a career adjunct lecturer who grows fearful even of his own children's eyes as colleagues lose their jobs one by one ahead of new lecturer laws; and a tense chase as members of a conglomerate pursue the trail of a secret slush fund ledger. [Volume 1] Author's Note: A Response / Tomorrow's Conversation / The Web of Connections / Encirclement / Light and Darkness of the World / Shoulder to Shoulder / The Road / The Tower of Immense Greed / Money = Poison / Without a Trace / New Homework / Water and Wine in the Courtroom [Volume 2] The Layers of Life / Diverging Paths / Special Treatment for Former Officials = Judicial Crime / Absolute Loyalty / Falling in Line / Crime as Custom / A Newly Opened Path in Life / A Certain Chief Prosecutor / A Father's Tears / A Self-Appointed Matchmaker [Volume 3] Reemployment at Affiliated Agencies = Administrative Crime / A Hundred Camellia Blossoms / Deceiving and Being Deceived / Each Finding Their Own Way to Survive / Political Indifference Is Irresponsibility Toward One's Own Life / A Law School Mind, A Business School Mind / Resurrection, National Oil! / Blueprint of 'You and Me, Madam' / Songs Follow the Heart / Author's Chronology