Sakhalin, a novel about Koreans who are forced to move to Sakhalin, Russia, tells their stories about why they were forced to relocate to Sakhalin in the 1930s. The novel weaves together the stories of different characters as they move from Haman in Gyeongsan Province, North Korea, and to Japan and Russia, and live through the turmoil of modern Korean history. The story begins with Lee Mun-geun and his wife Choi Suk-gyeong. Suk-gyeong volunteers to work in Sakhalin in 1943 in order to make money to save her sick husband. The Japanese send her to work at a housing for miners at Kawakami Mine, where she is forced to witness the inhumane working conditions of the miners and the torture they are subjected to by the Japanese.

The novel is based on research by Lee Gyujeong, and it realistically depicts the tragic life led by Koreans who were dragged away and forced to work by the Japanese. The novel reveals how the tragedy continues even after the liberation of Korea, as the Koreans are unable to return home and reunite with their families. Instead of focusing on one story, the novel is full of stories, and it tells each one in full detail: Suk-gyeong, who volunteers to leave for Sakhalin to save her sick husband; Pan-do, who works as a Korean supervisor for the Kawakami Mine; Nam-bo, who runs away from the mine only to be caught and subjected to horrible torture; So-bun, a fourteen-year-old girl who is forced to work as a comfort woman; and Hyeong-gae, who is dragged away from his way home from school and forced to work in the mine. The novel retells their stories– the violence committed against Koreans who are forced to work in the mine, the inhumane working conditions, the torture of any escapees, and the young women who are taken away to work as comfort women—and it asks readers to confront and remember the Koreans’ painful history.