Tomona loses both his sight and his father as he dives for an old sword in the same waters where the Battle of Dan-no-ura took place and the Heike clan was destroyed. With little else to do but learn how to play the biwa, Tomona develops the necessary talent to join a prestigious group of storytellers, adopts the name "Tomoichi," and soon encounters a strange man who delights in terrorizing people with his deformed appearance. Tomoichi is taken aback when the sightless storyteller treats him as an equal. The visitor, who decides to go by the name "Inu-Ou," learns that he has the ability to hear ghosts narrating lost stories of the Heike clan, and the two quickly become friends and start performing together. Tomoichi renames himself Tomoari and utilizes Using his music, Inu-Ou was able to draw huge crowds to his underground dance shows. The shogunate cherishes tradition much, yet the brash and unusual style they establish defies that. The couple must battle the forces of tradition that dominate the society around them as their fame grows.