As from a script by Akira Kurosawa, director Takashi Koizumi pays tribute to the Japanese master telling a story that he could not film before his death, last year, at the age of 88 years. When a river overflows because of flood, a group of travelers is obliged to stay in a small inn. Misawa, a poor ronin and his wife Tayo are among them. The rain continues, augmenting the tension among the guests. Ihei thus decides to organize festivities to raise the spirits of the group.

     With no money to carry his project through, he goes to the neighboring castle and wagers a bet with a master in fencing. Although he is clumsy in human relations, he is admirable in this duel for money, even though he is not worthy of the conduct of a samurai. Shigeaki, the local lord, is impressed by Ihei's abilities and invites him to be the master fencer in his fiefdom. Ihei is enchanted at the offer and arouses envy from other fighters who believe the position should be theirs.

     "In the notes that Kurosawa made on his script for After the Rain, he wrote: 'This should be a story that, once seen, will make you feel pleased.' It is one year since he died. With my small team and cast, I made a film from Kurosawa's script as he would have wished, with a feeling of gratitude for his masterpiece." (Takashi Koizumi).