When a powerful demon boar attacks an Emishi hamlet, the young prince Ashitaka risks his life to save his clan. The beast curses the prince's arm with its final breath, bestowing demonic abilities on him while progressively draining his life. Instructed by the village elders to travel west for a cure, Ashitaka arrives at Tatara, the Iron Town, where he finds himself embroiled in a fierce conflict: Lady Eboshi of Tatara, who promotes constant deforestation, opposes Princess San and the sacred spirits of the forest, who are enraged by the destruction caused by humans. As the conflicting forces of nature and humanity fight in a desperate struggle for life, Ashitaka seeks to bring the two together.