The Richardson family celebrates their 28-year-old daughter's pregnancy in Northern California. The celebration is interrupted when a Satanic cult member, Aksel Brandr, pays them an unexpected visit. Aksel, on behalf of the cult's leader Henrik Brandr, offers to pay the family a large sum for ownership of their land. Jacob Richardson, the father, rejects the offer due to the pr...。战国乱世,天下初定。德川幕府建立,拉开了最后一个武家王朝两百多年的序幕。时有乱臣之女阿福(松下由树 饰),因手刃猖狂的小妾而被丈夫休出家门。阿福满怀羞辱和悲愤,抛弃三个年幼的孩子来至江户。适逢二代将军秀忠的正室阿江与夫人(高岛礼子 饰)临产,阿福应征成为乳母。世子竹千代不久诞生,阿江与虽心怀不舍,却只能看着刚出世的孩子被交予乳母养育,从此在心中埋下仇恨的种子。此后的岁月里,阿福所抚育的竹千代以及阿江与养育的次子国松展开连番争夺继承人的斗争。
更名为家光(西岛秀俊 饰)的竹千代最终成为三代将军,阿福也作为大奥总管,开启了其德川女帝的辉煌篇章……。