The story of how guerilla fighter Kim Il Sung rises to power, takes complete control of his country and makes himself a god in the eyes of his people; a chronicle of Sung's early days in power, including how he starts the Korean War.

The decline of Kim Il Sung and the rise of his son, Kim Jong Il; how Jong uses filmmaking and propaganda to gain power; the story of how Jong kidnaps South Korean filmmakers and wages a terror campaign in the buildup to the Seoul Olympics.

At the close of the Cold War, North Korea loses Soviet patronage; Kim Jong Il starts a nuclear weapons program; his government makes counterfeit money and sets up factories making crystal meth; he parties while the country struggles economically.