Takeo Nanachi and a few friends travel to a rural village seeking inspiration for a theater production. There, they discover the village is hosting a strange, somber festival that is only held every few decades. Takeo hopes to use this opportunity to purify his grandfather's antique sword, but the festival's proceedings offer no chance for outsiders to participate. However, when an untimely car breakdown makes it impossible for Takeo to return home, he finds himself drawn into the villagers' dark and mesmerizing practices and forms a bond with Kuraki Fuzuchi, the son of the head priest.