Hikaru Genji (literally "Shining One of the Minamoto Clan" ) is the illegitimate son of Emperor Kiritsubo of Japan, and considered too handsome for his own good. After Genji's mother dies, his father reluctantly removes him from the line of succession and demotes him to commoner status. Genji takes up a job as an imperial officer, and the story follows his sexual, personal, and political exploits through the lens of Heian aristocratic society.