Young Yotarou has just left prison after serving a short term for a crime he does not know anything about, but without family, he has nowhere to go. Instead, he is going straight to the unrivaled master of rakugo—a form of comedic Japanese storytelling—Yakumo Yuurakutei himself. Due to a series of events, Yotarou becomes enamored with rakugo, bent on becoming a shunichi. Yakumo, who never takes apprentices, almost immediately agrees to pass his trade on to Yotarou. Together with Konatsu, a young lady living in the household, they start struggling toward becoming the new hope for rakugo, which seems to be slowly withering away alongside the Shouwa era.

However, as Yotarou gets to know his new mentor and "big sis," he notices hints of a dark past in both of them. The environment of the household becomes strained and, at times, scary. Naturally, no hardships matter to the young Yotarou, as his gaze is set upon their mutual future—the future where he becomes the master of rakugo.