Set sometime in the late Muromachi period, Naomitsu Hatakeyama (Shun Oguri) is the second son of the distinguished Hatakeyama family. His lifelong friend and and love interest is Ako-hime (Yuki Shibamoto). When Ako-hime's father dies, Yoshimasa Ashikaga (Kenichi Hagiwara) elicits a decree that will forever change their fates.

Soon afterwards, Naomitsu is betrayed by his very own brother Nobutsuna Hatakeyama (Hiroyuki Ikeuchi), who plans to forcibly take Aho-hime for himself. Naomitsu loves Ako-hime so much that he is ready to give up his life and flee into the mountains with Ako-hime. While travelling through the mountains, Naoitsu soon faces another betrayal, this time from retainer Sakuramaru (Kei Tanaka), a man Naomitsu once saved from death and took care of like a brother.

Naomitsu Hatakeyama then comes back as Tajomaru ....