We are in Japan during the Middle Ages. A vagabond boy called Onimaru is adopted by the Yamabes, destined since time immemorial to quell the anger of the Mountain of Fire. Onimaru upsets the established hierarchy and defies the ancient local rtes. He falls in love with Kinu, the Yamabes daughter who is destined to become a priestess against her will. To escape this destiny she marries the heir of a rival family. She cannot wed Onimaru because he belongs to her family. Onimaru leaves the Yamabe and tries to recover Kinu but she dies and Onimaru, mad with grief , terrifies the area for years. It is Kinu's daughter who puts an end to this situation.