Driven by paranoia, the 15th ruler of Korea’s Chosun Dynasty, King Gwang-hae sends out his Chief Secretary Heo Gyun to find a perfect double to safeguard him from the never ending threat of assassination. Heo Gyun finds a performer in Ha-seon who bears a remarkable resemblance to the King. Gwanghae’s paranoid delusions prove true as he is poisoned and falls into a coma. The Chief Secretary proposes that Ha-seon must fill the role of the King until their monarch recovers, so begins the process of grooming Ha-seon to fully impersonate the country’s ruler.

While assuming the role of ruler at his first official appearance, Ha-seon begins to ponder the intricacies of the problems debated at court. He is fundamentally more humanitarian than Gwanghae, so uses his new found power to help the lowliest of his subjects which slowly improves morale in the palace for the better. Even the Chief Secretary is moved by Ha-seon’s genuine concern for the people and realizes he is an infinitely better ruler than Gwanghae. However, the King’s main opposition notices the sudden shift in the King’s behaviour and starts to ask questions.

Masquerade applies the ‘Prince and the Pauper’ story to this fictional bi- ography of one of Korea’s most famous Kings and the mysterious missing fifteen days. The paranoid King and the kindly performer are both played by the now globally famous, Lee Byung-hun.