Conspiracy in Kyoto is based on one of the most famous of the narrative scrolls painted by the Japanese in the 12th, 13th, and 14th centuries. This scroll, the Ban Dainagon, painted by Mitsunaga in 1175, is the story of an innocent man, unjustly accused of a capital crime, who wins his vindication. The film describes in detail the burning of the Imperial Gate, which constitutes the actual crime, and the various episodes connected with the search for the true culprit.