Near a remote Buddhist monastery, a young man falls in love with his sister and gets her pregnant. After a monk finds out, the young man becomes an assistant to a master sculptor, only to proceed to complicate matters with his affairs.
A demonic reincarnation of a Japanese general from the 10th century appears in the early 20th century Tokyo with a mission to destroy the blooming city.
As a faithful young houseboy fully devotes himself to his spiritual duty, his teacher plans turning over his grandfather's mountain property to realtors for profit.
Follows the life of the famous classical printmaker, Utamaro Kitagawa, set during the time when Utamaro is commissioned to produce pornographic woodblocks.