Kanjuro Nomi is an aging samurai who only has a scabbard. With a past that made him throw away his sword and refuse to fight, he now journeys to nowhere with Tae, his only daughter. Kanjuro becomes a wanted man for deserting his lord and is sentenced to “The Thirty-Day Feat”: a formidable task to restore a smile to the sad prince who has lost his mother. He has thirty days to complete his assignment and one chance per day; if he succeeds, he walks free. If he fails, he must commit seppuku (the Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment).

Kanjuro Nomi est un samouraï sans sabre, répudié par tous et errant misérablement sur les routes avec sa fille depuis qu’il a refusé de combattre. Tombé entre les mains d’un seigneur aux désirs excentriques, il est condamné à mort, à moins de relever un ultime défi : faire naître un sourire sur le visage triste du jeune prince. Chaque matin, pendant 30 jours, il met donc en scène un nouveau spectacle.