Near the end of the Han Dynasty, corruption and the Yellow Turban rebellion have destabilized the empire. Deep in the mountains, an isolated community called the Maozoku lives apart from human society—they are said to be descended from a youkai called Kinme, and humans have called them "Jyuuza" (a slur referencing cats, the animals excluded from the zodiac) for generations. Among them is Kan U, half-human and half-Maozoku, who works to overcome the weight of her origins. The community's peaceful existence ends when General Sou Sou marches his army into their hidden village searching for Yellow Turban rebels. Accused of harboring them, the Maozoku are forced into an agreement: fight for Sou Sou and defeat the rebels to prove their innocence. The Three Kingdoms era swallows them whole.