Ashitaka, a young man living in a hidden Emishi village, is inflicted with a demon god`s lethal curse, and sets off on a journey to a land far to the west. There, he witnesses conflict between the people of Iron Town who clear the forest to make iron, and the savage godly beasts who protect the forest. Eventually he meets San, a girl raised by wolf goddess Moro, who lives alongside the savage gods. Ashitaka is caught between the two sides, and learns the reason why he was cursed. He struggles to find a way for humans and the forest gods to co-exist, but before long, a ferocious war breaks out.