When he's struck by a rare disease and hideously transformed, with festering skin and a deformed body, a young man suffers not only the pain of his condition but the sting of social ostracism. Living in a rural village, Zoroku quickly instills fear in the townsfolk when they get wind of his disease. Seeking to end their son's misery, Zoroku's parents contemplate the unimaginable, but sister Haruko is determined to save her beloved brother.