The setting is the end of the Edo period amid political strife and human suffering. Young Momosuke, an aspiring author, sets out on a journey to collect 100 stories to make into a book. Right away he meets up with a trio of outlaws: Mataichi the Trickster, Ogin the Puppeteer and Nagamimi the Bird Caller. As they travel, the group encounters the most twisted and horrible parts of human nature. It is the task of this group to punish each person in a manner fitting their crimes - a gruesome undertaking to say the least... Thus, the bells of the requiem are heard throughout the land...