A courtesan, Okino, is tired of her life in Edo, and is starting to be outshone by younger women, so she tricks a man called Yaji, into helping her escape the brothel where she is bound by contract to stay. Okino claims that her father is dying of "heart trouble" and she needs to visit him right away. The two pair up with actor Kita who made a mess of a scene in a popular kabuki play and so cannot show his face in Edo, and the three set out to find her father. They meet with various adventures along the way to Okino's hometown. The rakugo story of Teresuko is intertwined with their tale, possibly referring to various kinds of trickery played by the characters on each other in trying to better their lives.