If you knew your time was short, who would you tell? What would you say? And how would you deliver the message? The Keeper of the Camphor Tree begins with Reito Naoi, a man in his early 20s, being unjustly fired from his job. Enraged and driven by a desire for revenge, he attempts to steal a valuable device from his workplace, but his plan fails and he is arrested. While in jail, Reito receives an unexpected visit from a lawyer who offers to arrange his release on the condition that he complies with the wishes of the lawyer's client. Seeing no other option, Reito agrees and soon learns that the client is his aunt. When Reito tells her he has no plans for the future, she gives him an order: "What I want you to do is to guard a camphor tree." Thus begins Reito's custodianship of a camphor tree standing on the grounds of a shrine—a tree associated with a mysterious legend.