The story opens with a description of the annual flower festival in the ancient city ofchang'an. It is held on the thirteenth day of spring, and the winner of the festival receives a great deal of money. The protagonist is a young man who has returned to the city to send off his old friend, a man named nakamaro, who has been killed in the line of duty. He tells the protagonist that he has come to take a look at the blooming flowers in the city. He asks the protagonist why he is there to destroy them. The young man replies that it is impossible for him to do so, as everything is permitted in the country. He says that the flower carriage belongs to the House of yang, the ruling family.