In a Grove

In a grove of bamboo near Kyoto, the body of samurai Kanazawa no Takehiro is found with a sword through his chest. Three women — his wife Masago, a bandit named Tajōmaru who had been stalking her, and a priestess whose name remains unknown — each give an account of what happened before he died. Each version contains elements of truth but omits or alters details to serve the teller's own needs, leaving the reader unable to determine which woman is telling the truth.