Anju and her brother Zushioumaru live in rural Japan with their father, the steward of the emperor's hunting grounds, who teaches them about nature and conservation. Their father is wrongly accused by the local lord of burning the hunting grounds and the family is forced to flee. In Kyoto, however, they become separated from their mother and are sold into slavery after being tricked onto the wrong boat. Their new master is cruel and makes them work extremely hard under the threat of torture.