Sardonic detective Shane, thrown out of one town for bringing trouble, heads for home and his ex-partner's detective agency. The business is in a sad way, and Shane, who has had the forethought to provide himself with a 250-dollar commission from an old lady on the train, is welcomed with open arms. When pretty Valerie Purvis walks in the next day willing to pay over。罗生门,日本京都的正南门。云游和尚、砍柴人和乞丐在城门底下避雨,三人闲聊,话题开始,故事的序幕拉开:一个武士和他妻子路过荒山,遭遇了不测。妻子被侮辱,而武士惨遭杀害。惨案如何酿成?凶手、妻子、借武士亡魂来做证的女巫,都各有说法。
真相只得一个,但是各人提供证词的目的却各有不同。为了美化自己的道德,减轻自己的罪恶,掩饰自己的过失,人人都开始叙述一个美化自己的故事版本。荒山上的惨案,成了一团拨不开看不清的迷雾。
谈论完毕,雨过天晴。砍柴人在罗生门旁发现一个哭泣的弃婴。他决定收养下来,抱着婴孩往夕阳深处走去。。