English Pilot-Major John Blackthorne and his surviving crew shipwreck on the coast of Japan in 1600. They are captured by local samurai under the command of Lord Kasigi Yabu, who aims to use the Englishman's foreign knowledge to his advantage. Blackthorne clashes with the Jesuits, who view the Protestant Englishman as a pirate, and eventually discovers his ship and crew are being seized.