Shinta Arakawa wants nothing more than to pass his shin'uchi exam--the test that would make him a top-rank headliner and master storyteller in the traditional Japanese art of rakugo. Akane Osaki, his daughter and biggest fan, spies on him while he practices and learns his routines for herself. When rakugo master Issho Arakawa expels everyone after the exam with no explanation, a fire is lit inside Akane. From that day forth, she has had one goal--to avenge her father and prove his art was worthy of the title of shin'uchi.

After the first contestant of the four-person selection event receives a stern reception, the audience and other contestants begin to realize how high the stakes truly are. Kaichi is second to take the stage, and his style, while not meshing with the judges, has a particularly familiar element to it that can be attributed to only one master in the Arakawa School. Soon to follow is Hikaru, who vows to use all her training and every new skill she's acquired since their first encounter to get her revenge on Akane! Once all of her rivals have performed, it's Akane's turn to take the stage and perform the story that was passed down from her father to one of her fellow apprentices and now to her, "Changing Time."