The novel was published by the April 15 Literary Production Company.

It was adapted from the revolutionary drama "A Letter from Daughter", which was created by President Kim Il Sung during the anti-Japanese armed struggle.

The novel, set in a remote village at the end of the 1920s, is based on a story of a peasant's family.

The novel's hero Ho Tal Su, a farm hand, is illiterate. He is deceived by a landlord and fails to read a letter from his daughter living in a distant area.

He repents of his illiteracy, being seized with agony for not getting the whereabouts of his daughter. At last he made up his mind to learn the Korean alphabets.

The novel gives the truth that one can not enjoy a worthwhile life if illiterate.

It serves as an impetus to the local people in their efforts to break through the cutting edge in the era of the knowledge-based economy.