 Takashi Miike (Full Metal Yakuza, The Black Society Trilogy), one of the most prolific directors in chambara today delivers a haunting tale set in the Tokugawa Era. Framed for a crime he did not commit, Eiji is subjected to the harsh realities of the Ishikawa Island workhouse. Sabu, Eiji s longtime friend, must discover who is responsible for Eiji s incarceration, before the prison life consumes him completely. Adapted from the classic Japanese rites of passage novel by Shugoru Yamamoto, Miike uses the work to his own purpose with his usual flair.