Since his rescue by Lord Otori Shigeru, Takeo has learned that his father - whom he had never met - was p0art of the Tribe. a secret metwork of assassins with extraordinary skills. Takeo shares those skills, and he spends days honing them with Shigeru's friend Kenji, also a member of the Tribe. Then the three journey to the stronghold of the power-hungry Lord Iida, where they will meet Kaede, a fifteen-year-old girl chosen as the future Lady Otori by a group of political collaborators. Throughout the trip, Takeo is pulled in two by his mixed allegiances to the Otori and the Tribe. And then there is a third bond: when Takeo and Kaede first see each other, they are drawn together, and without speaking a word, fall in love. But events are doomed to pull them apart, and draw on all of their courage.