Setsuko and Seita are brother and sister living in wartime Japan. After their mother is killed in an air raid they find a temporary home with relatives. They leave the city and live in an abandoned shelter. While their soldier father's destiny is unknown, the two depend on each other to keep a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs. When everything is in short supply, they gradually succumb to hunger and their only entertainment is the light...

The forest habitat of the mischievous, shapeshifting Tanuki (raccoon dogs) is being threatened by urban development. Using their powers of transformation and persuasion, the raccoon tribes band together to fight back against the human encroachment, stop the construction and preserve their home.