Summary

On a sunny spring day, the road to the shrines of Kumano are crowded with pilgrims traveling to the shrines. Among the pilgrims are an elderly monk and his young acolyte. As the evening comes, they stop to ask for a room at a lodge along the way. The mistress of the house is a young widow.

She immediately falls in love with the acolyte, and slips into his room that night. The young monk feels attracted to her, finding it difficult to resist the temptation, he lies his way out of the situation by pretending that he will return in three days, on his way back from Kumano.

When the woman realizes that the monk has tricked her, she sets out to find him. Urged by his master, the young monk flees, escaping by boat over the rough waters of the Hidaka River. The woman chases after him in a frenzy, and the depth of her passion transforms her into a huge white serpent, a symbol of jealousy and passion.

The monk seeks refuge in the monastery at Dojoji Temple, where the wise old abbot hides him inside a huge bronze bell, and bars the doors as they await the arrival of the serpent....