Spurred by his wife and a witch's prediction, a samurai murders his lord to steal the throne.

Returning to the Cobweb Castle after battling the warlord Inui, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are confronted by a ghostly soothsayer, who predicts that Washizu will succeed his feudal lord, Tsuzuki, while Miki's son will inherit Washizu's throne. Fired by the prophecy and his wife Asaji's ambition, Washizu murders his sovereign, intending to make Miki's son his heir. The jealous Asaji, however, will have none of it. Insisting that she is pregnant, she commands father and son to be put to death. Although Miki is slain, his son escapes. Alarmed, Washizu again consults the oracle, who informs Washizu that he will be invincible until the surrounding forest moves against him. The next morning, Washizu is horrified to see the rival warlord Inui, his men brandishing the branches and limbs of the forest, advancing on the palace. Although he fights valiantly, Washizu is felled by a volley of arrows.