Samurai culture was at its peak during the 13th and 14th centuries in Japan. The Emperor was honored as the imperial ruler, but it was the Shogunate which held the true power.When Japan's empire launches into civil war between the Northern and Southern courts in the early 14th century, samurai find themselves allied to daimyos loyal to opposing emperors. This was a time when the Shogunate found its members fighting against each other, when fathers fought against their sons, brothers against brothers, and when two samurai of opposing clans, Fujiwara no Mariko and Minamoto no Akihiro, end up on opposite sides of the war. This means they must battle against each other. They are not only samurai, they are husband and wife with three very young children.What will it take for two samurai warriors to fulfill their honorable duty to their opposing overlords without compromising their honorable love for each other? This is a story of samurai duty and honor pitted against two people's undying love and passionate loyalty to each other. It begs the question: Does honor supersede love?
