Yawara Inokuma is a seemingly ordinary seventeen-year-old high school student with a secret wish for a perfectly normal life filled with fashion, romance, and carefree youth. Unfortunately for her, she is also a prodigy in judo, a talent she has been unable to escape since childhood. Her authoritarian grandfather, Jigoro Inokuma, is a legendary figure in the judo world, and his singular obsession is to mold his reluctant granddaughter into a national hero. His grand plan is for Yawara to win the gold medal in the women's open-weight division at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and ultimately receive the People's Honour Award, forcing her down a path she never wanted. The story is set in contemporary Japan, primarily following Yawara as she navigates the pressures of elite athletic competition against the backdrop of high school life and an Olympic countdown that looms ever closer.

The central conflict begins when Yawara's secret strength is discovered by Kosaku Matsuda, a persistent and ambitious sports reporter for a minor newspaper. Sensing the story that could make his career, Matsuda becomes determined to drag Yawara into the public eye against her will. He is soon joined by Sayaka Honami, a graceful and wealthy young judoka who has trained overseas and resents Yawara for being praised as Jigoro's true successor. Sayaka publicly challenges Yawara, sparking a fierce rivalry that pushes the story forward. Complicating matters is the arrival of Shinnosuke Kazamatsuri, a handsome and charming young man who appears to be Yawara’s dream boyfriend but is secretly a skilled judo player with his own agenda, including a connection to Sayaka’s camp and a severe case of stage fright.

A significant narrative arc follows Yawara’s internal struggle between her desire for a normal life and her growing sense of responsibility. She is tricked and pressured into participating in tournaments, where her natural genius inevitably shines through, bringing her further away from the anonymity she craves. Despite her best efforts to quit, situations constantly arise where she must use judo to protect others or defend herself, much to her dismay. Over time, and through her interactions with rivals like Sayaka and persistent admirers like her high school judo club members, she begins to understand the joy and dedication the sport inspires in others. A pivotal arc involves her decision regarding her future after high school. Jigoro demands she focus entirely on the Olympics, but she eventually makes a deal with him: he will allow her to attend the college of her choice if she agrees to enter and win the prestigious All-Japan Tournament. This competition, which pits judokas of all weight classes against each other, becomes a major turning point where she must fully commit to her own athletic journey, not just her grandfather's dream, while reluctantly putting her romantic aspirations on hold.

Throughout the narrative, Yawara is supported by her understanding mother, Tamao, who often acts as a gentle mediator between Yawara and her demanding grandfather. She also finds friendship and admiration from her classmates and members of the school judo club, whom she reluctantly agrees to coach. As the countdown to the Barcelona Olympics continues, Yawara evolves from a girl who saw judo as a burden into a young woman who accepts her destiny, realizing that it is on the judo mat that she shines most brilliantly, even as she continues to hope for the ordinary love story she has always wanted.