In 1838, on the penal island Hachijojima. An ex-courtesan from the Yoshiwara pleasure district, Toyoguku, sent to the island for the crime of arson holds court over a motley chews of criminals and corrupt officials. It's a godforsaken place, often hit by typhoons. The subsequent famines would wipe out half the population of prisoners and villagers. The exiles endure all the usual human emotions of eat-dog world of this desolate island in a distant sea. In the depths of despair, Toyogiku falls in love with a new arrival to the penal colony: Kisaburo, a convicted gambler. Their love drives them to make the first successful bearkout from the penal island, but also brings down on them a tragedy...