Takako, daughter of a Satsuma clan member, is ordered by the clan lord to be Shogun Iesada’s wife. Forced to end her relationship with her lover, she tries to commit suicide, only to be stopped by her lover. He tells her that time will change things, and she needs to stay alive until the day he can come to rescue her. These words become emotional support for her, and she moves into the Ooku, a palace inside the Edo Castle where approximately 1,000 wives, concubines and maids of the Shogun reside. Virtually everything in the Ooku is ruled by tradition, and Takako is forced to live life like a doll. Although she is mocked by the high-ranking maids, Takako remains strong and determined.
This is a story that depicts the rise and fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate through the lives of women living in the Ooku of Edo Castle.