Keiichi Maebara has just moved to the very small town of Hinamizawa. He's making friends and enjoying life, until the day he learns of a grisly murder that took place in the little village. His friends won't tell him any details, which adds to his unease. At the town's yearly festival, he learns that there has been a death on that night every year for 4 years all attributed to the Curse of Oyashiro-sama, a punishment for those who supported the dam project that would have put Hinamizawa underwater. Another death occurs and a policeman asks Keiichi to help investigate what he suspects is murder. He informs Keiichi that not only is there a death every year but someone goes missing. He warns him not to tell anyone. Keiichi only becomes more suspicious, especially when he overhears someone talking with his friend Rena about how the Curse would demand 1 more person. He confronts Rena and she acts like a completely different person, accusing him of lying, as if she knows he's helping the police. As Keiichi's paranoia mounts, he learns that Rena was listening in on a phone call between him and the police officer.