Dispatched by the Ministry of Justice, young government official Sugawara Akitada is to investigate the loss of tax shipments from the province of Kazusa. Unaware that he is expected to fail, he plunges into the tangled affairs of Kazusa with the greatest enthusiasm. In the company of the elderly Seimei and the impudent ex-highwayman and soldier Tora, he becomes quickly involved in the murder of a local official, the dangerous secrets of a temple, the brutal world of gangs, and the seductive beauty of two very different women. Though he is successful in his assignment, the tragic events surrounding his investigation leave him a sadder and wiser man.