After a family tragedy turns her life upside down, high school student Tohru Honda takes matters into her own hands and moves out... into a tent! Unfortunately for her, she pitches her new home on private land belonging to the mysterious Sohma clan. It is not long before the owners discover her secret, and Tohru finds herself living with Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure Sohma. But she quickly discovers that the Sohma family has a bizarre secret of their own: when they are hugged by the opposite sex, they transform into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. As Tohru becomes more deeply involved in their lives, she learns of the dark, oppressive history of the family and the cruel curse that binds them to their animal forms, setting her on a journey to break the cycle of trauma and find true acceptance.