江户时代，山樱树下，美丽的女子野江（田中丽奈 饰）邂逅了一名武士，手冢弥一郎（东山纪之 饰）。在野江的第一位丈夫病逝后，曾经有人给手冢和野江说媒，野江家里顾虑到手冢母子相依为命想必家境平平，而回绝了这门亲事。后来野江下嫁给矶村家，这一家人刻薄势利，善于敛财，她的日子过得并不好。这次回娘家省亲，在山樱盛开的田间，野江偶遇了手冢，让她重拾幸福的感觉。

　　番中大臣诹访实施暴政，鱼肉百姓，为此农民们苦不堪言。手冢为了伸张正义，明知会祸及自身，他还是在城中手刃了诹访。此事惊动城内上下，包括巴结诹访的矶村家。很快，矶村家向野江提出离婚，她又回到了娘家。春去秋来，手冢已在牢中关押多时，而野江一直默默为他祈祷。当又一年山樱盛开之时，她回到当初遇到手冢的地方，摘下一枝樱花，往手冢家里去……

Based on a short story written by Shuhei Fujisawa (who also wrote Twilight Samurai, The Hidden Blade, Love and Honor), the film depicts the uneasy life of Noe Isomura (Rena Tanaka) with the difficult family she has married into after her former husband passed away. One day as she tries to brake off a branch of a cherry tree, she is aided by a samurai who she does not recognize but who recognizes her. He turns out to be a former suitor that she never met named Yaichiro Tezuka (Noriyuki Higashiyama) and who teaches swordsmanship to the local samurai. Meanwhile, the powerful new chief retainer of the village enacts land policies that threaten the survival of the local farmers.