A chance meeting leads to tragic consequences as the divided loyalties of family and duty tear 3 people apart.

A chance meeting leads to tragic consequences as the divided loyalties of family and duty tear 3 people apart. Actor Kataoka Ainosuke explores "Numazu." Jubei, a cloth merchant, learns that the porter Heisaku and his family are helping a vendetta that aims at killing his lord. Moreover, he finds out that Heisaku is his real father. Here, at the end of the play, Jubei helps the vendetta and can finally embrace the dying Heisaku as his father.

As he is traveling along the Tokaido highway, Jubei encounters Heisaku, who insists on carrying his bags despite being old and frail. But Heisaku soon injures himself and Jubei cures him with a miraculous medicine he is carrying.

Jubei meets Heisaku's daughter Oyone and is immediately attracted to her and asks to make her his wife. Oyone used to be a very popular, high-ranking courtesan. But Jubei doesn't realize that Oyone is married and in fact, Heisaku is his real father. Oyone's husband is on a vendetta, but he has been injured severely. Oyone decides to steal Jubei's medicine, but it belongs to Jubei's master, the very man that her husband is trying to kill. Jubei's chance encounter with Heisaku allows him to meet his real family for the first time. At the same time, it leads to tragedy with terrible sacrifices by everyone involved.