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In feudal Japan, Oharu, the daughter of royal samurai Shinzaemon, secretly has a passionate romance with Katsunosuke, a man with a meager social standing. When the couple is found out, the law comes down hard on this breach of class: Katsunosuke is put to death and Oharu and her family are banished from the kingdom. Destitute and disgraced, Shinzaemon sells Oharu into prostitution, and she spends years searching for love.