The yatagarasu race is led by the kin'u, also known as the Golden Raven. When his son, the future kin'u, is ready to take a bride, noblewomen from the Four Houses are sent to the Cherry Blossom Palace to compete for the honor of his hand in marriage.

A clash with other young noblemen plucks 13-year-old Yukiya out of the backwater village of Taruhi and into royal service. The Northern House wants an agent in the Prince's household, but is the "blockhead" Yukiya up to the task?

Koume confronts her mother and learns the truth about the monkeys' yatagarasu collaborators. Yukiya and the Prince race to the scene, but can they undo the damage done by Yukiya's rash judgment?