Follows the story of spiritual mentor Lord Otori Shigeru, who receives warrior training, forges a relationship with a tribe of mysterious assassins, and meets the Lady Maruyama.

Adopted by an Otori Lord, orphan Takeo rises to become a closely held member of the Tribe and finds his love for Maruyama heir Shirakawa Kaede challenged by dissembling clans and fractured allegiances.

Shikanoko, now freed from the control of the evil Prince Abbot, stumbles in a haze back to the Darkwood, where he once again encounters mountain sorcerer Shisoku and the mysterious Lady Tora. Tora dies soon after giving birth to five spider children, boys with special powers who emerge from cocoons and whom Shikanoko must raise. Aki, the Autumn Princess, hides in the forest with Yoshimori, the true imperial heir, while she tries to determine how they...

"A self-assured warrior stumbles into a game of Go that turns fatal. An ambitious lord leaves his nephew for dead and seizes his lands. A stubborn father forces his son to give up his wife to his older brother. A powerful priest meddles in the succession to the Lotus Throne. A woman of the Old People seeks five fathers for her five children, who will go on to found the Spider Tribe and direct the fate of the country. As destiny weaves its tapestry...