In medieval Japan, a compassionate governor is sent into exile. His wife and children try to join him, but are separated, and the children grow up amidst suffering and oppression. Tracing an epic journey over land and sea, through space and time, the film intertwines several quests, and each rhymes off the others to create a harmonic wholeness that is Kenji Mizoguchi's hallmark as a director: the quest of a brother and sister for their mother; of a slave for freedom; of a boy for this father and the principles for which his father stood; and the quest of a stream for the sea — are all equally significant journeys for Mizoguchi. Sansho the Baili_, a poetic masterpiece, is one of the last films Mizoguchi made (although he directed five more before his death in 1956). Along with Ugetsu and The Life of Oharu, it is often considered his finest, the crowning achievement of his career.