the background of the drama is not set in a grand palace but an everyday market and talks not of the success of a great hero but the agony of common people. "the duo" portrays the everyday lives and loves of the commoners and outcasts during 19th century korea: slaves, beggars, leather shoemakers, thieves, street bums and butchers, people who were poor yet good at heart. it is centered on the humanism and sentiments of those whose life stories have often been neglected in the typical "royal family centered" dramas.