Hinamizawa, a small rural village in Japan, circa 1983. The village is known for its annual Watanagashi Festival, which honors the local deity, Oyashiro-sama. The story follows Maebara Keiichi, a teenage boy who has recently moved to Hinamizawa with his family. He quickly becomes friends with a group of local girls: Ryuuguu Rena, Sonozaki Mion, Houjou Satoko, and Furude Rika. On the surface, Hinamizawa is a peaceful, tight-knit community. However, Keiichi soon discovers that the village harbors dark secrets and a history of mysterious disappearances and gruesome murders that occur each year around the time of the Watanagashi Festival.