The series is based on the 1975 bestselling novel of the same name by James Clavell. Set in 1600 Japan, at the dawn of a century-long civil war, the Battle of Sekigahara, the daimyo Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) must fight for his life as his enemies among the Five Elders unite against him. When a mysterious European ship is found stranded in a nearby fishing village, the ship's English pilot, John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), brings secrets that could help Toranaga tip the balance of power, or destroy the powerful influence held by Blackthorne's own enemies, the Jesuit priests and Portuguese merchants. The fates of Toranaga and Blackthorne become inextricably linked with their translator, Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai). Mariko is a mysterious Christian woman, the last of a family line of fallen nobles. In a time of political turmoil, Mariko must not only serve her daimyo, but must also balance her new relationship with Blackthorne, her sense of mission to her faith, and her father's legacy. The original work is told from both Western and Japanese perspectives, with the background set in the Edo Shogunate period in Japan. The prototypes are Tokugawa Ieyasu and Miura Anjin.