A Shogunate elder connives to rule Japan by making his puppet, the Shogun's brother Tsunashige, the next Shogun. The best strategist in Japan, Yamaga, leads a plot to stop the elder, but his cabal is betrayed and most of the conspirators are captured and tortured. Now, Yamaga and his few remaining swordsmen must battle through hundreds of guards in order to kill Tshunashige. He will need all of his wits to devise a strategy that provides even a glimmer of hope.