With the winds of change sweeping through Japan, overthrowing three centuries of Shogunate rule, Gonzo, (Toshiro Mifune) a peasant, enlists in the Imperial Restoration Force, which promises to reform the oppression of the past. Gonzo persuades his commander to lend him his Red Lion Mane, a symbol of authority, and rides into his old home town, where he receives a hero's welcome. This tale, both touching and hilarious, traces the difficulties of a simple, boastful, humane man caught in the web of political intrigue. Casting a cold eye on politicians of all hues, at its climax it achieves true tragic intensity.