1895, a small Japanese village. Part-time barmaid Seki is married to Gisaburo, a hardworking rickshaw man. Toyoji is a younger man at loose ends since leaving the army. Toyoji seduces Seki, and they embark on a desultory affair. Later, an impetuous action of Toyoji's prompts the lovers to murder Gisaburo. Three years later, Gisaburo's ghost appears, a sad and confused lost soul whose vague desperation drives his murderers to anguished guilt. This film was director Oshima's venture into the kaidan (Japanese ghost story), and was highly acclaimed on its release in 1978.