In 1866, as the Tokugawa era draws to a close, Kumosuke Haguregumo, known as Cloud, pays no attention to the changes sweeping Japan. A former samurai who is now regarded as the town fool, he still wears his swords but passes his days smoking, drinking and chasing women, often not returning until morning. His wife, Turtle, and their two children, the 11-year-old Shinnosuke and the 8-year-old Ohana, are regularly put out by his behavior. As Shinnosuke matures, his father's reputation weighs on him, and he sets out to lead an honorable life, a goal that proves hard to define in such unsettled times. Around the family, other warriors search for their own place in a changing world. The film is a comedy set against the end of an era.