Commanded by an angry ghost to fulfill a forgotten promise, Mitsuko quits her Buddhist temple and sets off on a series of impossible tasks. Desperate for help, she again turns to the ingenious shape-shifter Goranu, and together the two journey through a dangerous landscape of Japanese myths and legends made real.

Yet the ghost's demands are the least of Mitsuko's problems. In return for his help, Goranu makes a demand of his own. And Mitsuko promises to fulfill his wish, even though to do so will mean Goranu's death.