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Shortly after the intense showdown in "Mononoke: The Phantom in the Rain", the Medicine Seller (Hiroshi Kamiya) appears once again, this time in the inner chambers of Ooku. Inside, things are shifting in the wake of the previous incident. Otomo Botan (Haruka Tomatsu), a woman from a distinguished family, succeeds Utayama as the new director and begins enforcing a strict leadership style rooted in discipline and balance. This creates growing tension between her and Fuki (Yoko Hikasa), a seasoned courtesan who once enjoyed the exclusive favor of the emperor (Miyu Irino). Their rift deepens with each passing day.As the selection process begins for a guardian to look after the newborn child of the emperor’s wife,Empress Yukiko (Atsumi Tanezaki), an unexpected event suddenly turns Fuki’s situation upside down.Having given birth to an“unwanted child”seen as a threat by the elder councilor Ootomo (Kenyu Horiuti),Fuki becomes the target of a web of conspiracies spun by the men in power.Conflicting motives and desperate attempts to“put out the fire”quickly spiral out of control. At the same time, a strange series of incidents begin, with people spontaneously combusting and being reduced to ashes. The Medicine Seller suspects the work of a Mononoke and sets out to contain it, but what he faces is a mysterious and ever-shifting threat that seems to move as a group. The real identity of this mysterious phenomenon is the children of the Fire Rat (Hinezumi). Not only do they attack humans, but they also appear to be looking for their mother. However, she does not reveal herself easily. Why does the Fire Rat target those who would harm newborns? What tragedy drives her relentless sorrow as she sets herself ablaze?The Medicine Seller delves into the darkness lurking within the Ooku to solve the mystery, in search of the three requirements to ultimately cut down the Mononoke: "Shape", "Truth", and "Reason".