When yakuz member Shuji decides to turn his back on his gangster lifestyle, he moves to a remote fishing village. His past, symbolised by the yakuza-style "Yasha" demon tattoo on his back, is kept hidden. But the opening of a new bar and the arrival of its beautiful owner, Keiko, threaten to destroy Shuji's peaceful existence.
Keiko's lover, the malicious Yajima (Beat Takeshi Kitano), arrives in the village and quickly draws the fisherman into all night drinking, gambling and drug taking. When Yajima goes on a drug-induced rampage throughout the village, it is Shuji that stops him, but in doing so, his tattoo is exposed and his life as a gangster is revealed. And it is Yajima who ultimately forces Shuji to choose between pursuing his newly discovered freedom or following the demon on his back.