Ugetsu

No Japão do século XVI, em plena guerra civil, os camponeses Genjuro e Tobei vendem os seus potes de barro a um grupo de soldados, desafiando o aviso de um sábio local contra a tentativa de lucrar com a guerra. A busca de Genjuro por riquezas e o desejo de Tobei de se tornar um samurai correm o risco de destruir a si mesmos e a suas esposas.

In the farming village Nakanogō, on the shore of Lake Biwa in Ōmi Province in the Sengoku period, Genjūrō, a potter, takes his wares to nearby Ōmizo Domain. He is accompanied by Tōbei, who dreams of becoming a samurai. A respected sage tells Genjūrō's wife Miyagi to warn her husband about seeking profit in times of upheaval, and to prepare for a probable attack on the village. Genjūrō arrives with wide profits, but she asks him to stop. Genjūrō nevertheless works long hours to finish his pottery. That night, Shibata Katsuie's army sweeps through Nakanogō, and Genjūrō, Tōbei and their wives are uprooted. Genjūrō collects his pottery from the kiln, and decides to take the pots to a different marketplace. As the two couples travel across a lake, a boat appears from thick fog. The sole passenger tells them he was attacked by pirates, warns them back to their homes, then dies. The two men decide to return their wives to the shore. Tōbei's wife Ohama refuses to go. Miyagi begs Genjūrō not to leave her, but is left on the shore with their young son, Gen'ichi, clasped to her back. At market, Genjūrō's pottery sells well. After taking his promised share of the profits, Tōbei runs off to buy samurai armor, and sneaks into the ranks of a clan of samurai. Lost from her companions, Ohama has wandered beyond Nagahama in her desperate search for Tōbei. She is raped by a group of soldiers.

Während des Regenmondes - der bevorzugten Zeit der Geister - versprechen sich zwei Bauern im 16. Jahrhundert Gewinn von einem Krieg, der sich als greller Wahnsinn erweist. Sein Grauen steht im krassen Gegensatz zur absoluten Schönheit, die einer der beiden Bauern als Töpfer schafft und die er als Geliebter einer lebenshungrigen Geisterfrau erfährt.