- Drama:
The Moon Embracing the Sun (2012)
- Episodes:
20
- Genre:
#Historical, #Romance, #Fantansy
- Subtitles: English
- Status:
Completed
- Aired:
2012
- Country:
South Korea
Synopsis
The Queen Dowager orders the assassination of her stepson in order to protect her own son's throne. A-ri, a shaman of the Royal Star Mansion (Royal Astrology House), witnesses the murder. The pregnant wife of the palace's Chief Scholar helps her escape, and she vows to protect the unborn child, who has a "noble fate."
A-ri is arrested, tortured, and imprisoned. She tells her friend and fellow shaman, Jang Nok-yeong, to look after the unborn child in her stead. A-ri is declared guilty of treason and killed.
Years later, Heo Yeon-woo, the child A-ri swore to protect, and Crown Prince Lee Hwon fall in love. Prince Yangmyung, the Crown Prince's older half-brother, has also fallen in love with Yeon-woo, who does not reciprocate his feelings.
The Queen Dowager seeks to make Yoon Bo-kyung, the daughter of the Prime Minister and her blood relative, the Crown Princess in order to maintain her clan's power. However, the King is impressed by Yeon-Woo's intelligence and chooses her to be Lee Hwon's wife, infuriating Prime Minister Yoon and the Queen Dowager, who secretly orders Nok-yeong to cast a deadly curse on the new Princess.
Yeon-woo is diagnosed with an unidentifiable illness, expelled from the palace, and loses her title. She "dies" from this illness and is buried, but Nok-yeong digs her out of the grave, because the spell is temporary and only mimics the appearance of death. However, Yeon-woo is so traumatized by being buried alive that she has lost all of her memories. She and Nok-yeong leave the capital.
Crown Prince Lee Hwon unwillingly marries Bo-kyung, but refuses to consummate the marriage by citing an unnamed illness and continues to brood over his "dead" first love.
Eight years later, Lee Hwon is now king and Yeon-woo became Shaman Wol (which means "moon"). Unaware of Wol's true identity, the Grand Royal Queen Dowager calls her to the palace so that she can cure her grandson's "illness." The King is struck by Wol's unmistakeable resemblance to Yeon-woo, and he quietly launches an investigation into Yeon-woo's death.
Meanwhile, Wol struggles to understand the strange memories of her life as Yeon-woo, which she interprets as shamanic visions. She must fight Queen Yoon, the Grand Royal Queen Dowager and Prime Minister Yoon in order to reclaim her rightful place as the Queen of Joseon. Political intrigue continues to build and comes shockingly to a head as Lee Hwon fights for his throne and the woman he loves.