In the final years of the Tokugawa Shogunate, an isolationist Japan faces pressure from abroad and at home. Soon after the Americans force its ports open, the Russian frigate Diana arrives, and Japan has little choice but to negotiate. Toshiakira Kawaji, fresh from a treaty with the United States, is sent to reach terms with the hot-tempered Admiral Putyatin, but the talks stall. Then a huge earthquake strikes the coast, hurting Russians and Japanese alike. This historical adventure film draws on the real events that led to the Treaty of Shimoda in 1855.