The story of Mae Nak has been filmed almost twenty time before, and has been adapted into musicals, an opera, and numerous television dramas. Mae Nak, Thailand's most famous ghost, is an icon of folklore and popular culture.
The legend of Mae Nak is a simple story of young love, with a twist. Mak leaves his pregnant wife, Nak, to fight in a war. When he returns, Nak and their new baby are waiting for him, though the local villagers try to warn him that Nak is not what she seems. Eventually, Mak discovers Nak's corpse buried near their house, and when he sees her stretch her arm down to the ground, he realizes that she is a ghost. Nak insists that her love for her husband means that she cannot rest in peace without him, thought a Buddhist monk finally exorcises her spirit.