Some live in the deep darkness behind your eyelids. Some eat silence. Some thoughtlessly kill. Some simply drive men mad. They are known as mushicreatures that came into being shortly after life emerged from the primordial ooze. They still exist parallel to our own lives and can only be seen by a select few. As a mushishi, Ginko is one of the few who are aware of their existense, and this young man with a sardonic smile roams from place to place with the knowledge and skill to aid those unwittingly affected by mushi.
Mushi, a strange and primitive form of life, take countless shapes and affect the lives of humans without us even being aware of their existence. Enter Ginko, a mushi expert, known as a mushishi. Though his laconic smile and softspoken manner don't seem imposing, he represents a bridge of understanding and sometimes a line of defense for the human world. When a fellow mushishi disappears, Ginko must search for him on a mushiinfested mountain, putting his own life on the line!