During the late Tokugawa period, tensions between the bakufu and Choshu clan are rising due to arguments over how to deal with foreigners in Japan. However, unlike the rest of the Choshu clan members, Kusaka Touma wants Japan to develop good relations with foreign nations. To achieve this, he attempts to learn English behind his clan's back. A man named Akizuki Keiichirou decides to become Kusaka's teacher, but their relationship soon grows into something stronger, despite the fact that Akizuki works for Kusaka's clan's enemy, the Tokugawa bakufu.