1. The Little Bell
Takezo (later Musashi) and Matahachi, two foot soldiers who fought on the losing side at the Battle of Sekigahara, find refuge and a place to heal their wounds in the house of the mysterious Akemi, and her lascivious mother, Oko.
2. The Comb
Takezo receives from Oko a wooden sword which he uses to kill Tsujikaze Temma, the leader of a local gang of freebooters. The following day, Matahachi flees with Oko and Akemi, thus leaving Takezo alone on his return home to their province of Mimasaka.
3. The Flower Festival
Back in Miyamoto, Musashi’s home village, Otsu, Matahachi’s fiancé, and Takuan Soho, a wondering priest, prepare and take part in a festival at the village temple. It is here where Otsu spots, among the other worshipers, Takezo.
4. The Dowager’s Wrath
At Osugi’s suggestion, Ogin, Takezo’s sister, is taken prisoner by the Tokugawa samurai and Takezo himself is chased and attacked by scores of samurais and villagers. After Takezo tells Osugi that Matahachi, her son, chose to live with another woman rather than return home, she tries to have him killed but Takezo escapes her trap. Osugi believes that Matahachi was murdered by Takezo.
5. The Art of War
Otsu receives two letters: one from Oko and the other from Matahachi, informing her not to wait for her fiancé anymore as he married another woman. In the meantime, Takezo is hunted by his own townspeople for the alleged murder. Takuan and Otsu camp in the mountains and, on their third they of camping, a starved and lonely Takezo surrenders to Takuan.
6. The Old Cryptomeria Tree
Takezo lets Takuan and the villagers tie him up in the old cryptomeria tree on the grounds of the local temple in Miyamoto. When a storm starts, Otsu begs Takuan to set Takezo free, but the monk ignores her request.
7. The Rock and the Tree
Taking pity on him, Otsu frees Takezo from his bindings in the tree and together they flee the village. Osugi swears to catch both of them and sets in their pursuit together with Uncle Gon. Later on, Takezo deserts Otsu and tries to rescue Ogin. He attacks the Hinagura stockade, but discovers that his sister had been moved to Himeji Castle.
8. The Birth of Musashi
Takezo is taken by Takuan to Lord Terumasa’s Himeji Castle, where, as punishment, he spends the next three years studying Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, the Books of Zen, and the history of Japan. When he is set free, he receives a new name: Miyamoto Musashi. He then sets on a journey of self-discovery, refusing to take Otsu along even though she has been waiting for him all these years.
Continued with Musashi Book 2: Water
