In the land of Dakoku, a parallel-world version of Japan's Sengoku period reversed and flipped, three serpent clans rule: the White Serpent of the north, the Black Serpent of the south, and the Blue Serpent of the central region. These clans descend from three Dragon Princes who once rode dragons and fought for supremacy, eventually laying down arms and transforming into the three serpents. Non-human beings such as apemen and ogres exist alongside humans, and some wield curses and mystic arts. Taka, a spirited housewife from the land of Himuka, lives peacefully with her husband Yohichiro and their three children. Their world shatters when the White Serpent clan attacks Himuka. The ruling Ketsudo clan collapses, aided by resentful peasants, and Taka's father Mino Yoshihiro sacrifices himself to let his daughter escape. Taka, Yohichiro, and the children flee to the capital, Sakuradu, where they fall into desperate poverty. Soon after arriving, Taka begins having strange dreams. A self-proclaimed demon buddha appears and offers to grant her dominion over the land if she sacrifices her children. Taka refuses fiercely, driving the demon buddha from her dreams. But her husband Yohichiro, worn down by hardship, is drawn to the demon's promise. Suspecting a curse, Taka investigates at night and finds a naked, emaciated ascetic. She drives him away, but the ascetic is actually Kanbei, the former lord of the Ketsudo clan. Believed dead, Kanbei had lived in the mountains, awakened to mystic powers. He sees in Taka the destiny to conquer the realm. When Kanbei announces he will bestow his curse techniques upon a new heir, Yohichiro, desperate and broken, clings to that hope. Knowing that accepting the ritual would kill her husband and children, Taka volunteers herself and receives the Tenka-tori no Shuho, the technique for conquering the realm. Thus begins a housewife's path to domination. Taka soon discovers the nature of her power: she can project her consciousness into the minds of others, turning them into puppets known as deku. The puppets have no awareness of being controlled and rationalize any unnatural actions. Her first target is Okei, a maid in the Black Serpent household. Through Okei, Taka gains proximity to Kurohime, the Black Serpent princess who is destined to marry the young emperor of the Blue Serpent. Kanbei explains that Taka can eventually move her puppet from Okei to Kurohime, and from Kurohime to the emperor himself, climbing the ladder of power from within. Yohichiro, believing himself to be the one who received the technique, is installed as the new head of the Ketsudo clan, while Taka works in secret. Yoshihiro, Taka's father, is a former retainer who lost both arms in battle and bravely holds off their pursuers to allow Taka to escape. Ando Kibi no Kami Morito, a former retainer who once divorced Taka for her fierce gaze, later betrays the Ketsudo clan. When Taka seeks his help in the capital, he drugs and assaults her, then humiliates Yohichiro by offering him a menial position. This atrocity drives Yohichiro deeper into despair. Ketsudo Hyomoka no Kami Morinobu, Kanbei's inept son, rules the province with tyranny, inciting the rebellion that costs the Ketsudo clan their home. He later returns only to be deposed by Kanbei in favor of Yohichiro. As the story progresses, Taka refines her ability, learning to control up to three puppets simultaneously. She places Kurohime under her influence and, through her, gains control of the young Blue Serpent emperor. The Black Serpent clan, however, has its own schemes, and the Blue Serpent household is thrown into crisis. The emperor is killed by his son Tatsuki, and the Blue Serpent itself dies, leading to fragmentation and defections to the rival Crane clan. The White Serpent, the largest power, begins moving, and genuine chaos descends upon Dakoku. Taka next attempts to make a Dragon Princess her puppet in order to save her own children, but fails. Undeterred, she approaches the isolated princess directly, aiming to turn her into a hero figure and work alongside her. Taka's primary motivation throughout is family protection, rooted in the initial offer to sacrifice her children for power, which she rejected. Her manipulation is a means to carve a place of safety for her family in a brutal, feudal world where three great houses teeter on the edge of war and the old order is crumbling.