A group of young men have returned to their home town in ancient Japan seeking to end the town’s era of severe political corruption and restore order. When they present their accusations to a city official, they are betrayed and are being hunted by the official’s henchmen. They are rescued by a scruffy, gruff samurai named Sanjuro (Toshiro Mifune) who also agrees to help them complete their quest and oust the corrupt politicians. When the rebel leader and his family, uncle to one of the young are kidnapped, the boys and Sanjuro must engage in a fight with everything they want or care about on the line.