Blades of Blood is ostensibly about a bastard child, Han Kyunja (Baek Sunghyun) whose noble family is butchered by a rebel alliance in retribution for political betrayal and his quest for revenge. In charge of the alliance is Lee Monghak (Cha Seungwon), an expert swordsman and nobleman who speaks of wiping out the current ineffective nobility so that the nation can properly defend itself against a rumored Japanese invasion. And helping Kyunja in his quest for revenge is the blind swordsman, Hwang Junghak (Hwang Jungmin), who teaches Kyunja a thing or two about stabbing and slashing along the way.