The story begins in Heian era Kyoto. A woodcutter and a priest are sitting beneath the Rashōmon city gate to stay dry during a downpour. A commoner joins them to shelter from the rain, and they recount a disturbing story about an assault and murder that took place. The Woodcutter and The Priest are baffled, unable to understand how everyone involved could have given such radically different accounts of the same event.
