When Eiichi learns how the Qing Dynasty was defeated by the British in the Opium War from a book recommended by Junchu, he fears for the future of an open Japan. Meanwhile, Eiichi's older sister, Naka, becomes depressed when her uncle, Sosuke, and his friends oppose her marriage proposal on the superstitious grounds that the other party's family has an evil spirit. On the other hand, Nariaki, who still cannot accept the policy of the shogunate, goes out of control. The elder Abe Masahiro and Nariaki's aide Fujita Toko desperately try to restrain him. Then, a major earthquake strikes Edo.