Being spared by Kiyomori, Ushiwaka lives with his mother, Tokiwa in Kyoto. He enjoys playing with Kiyomori’s young sons as they were his brothers though he is a child of the Genji, Heike’s enemy. Taira no Shigemori, Kiyomori’s eldest son, suggests to Kiyomori that he should place Ushiwaka under some kind of constraint as Shigemori is alarmed to see how Ushiwaka is feeling close to his younger brothers. Hearing that Kiyomori often visits Tokiwa, Kiyomori’s wife, Tokiko secretly calls her and comes to know that Tokiwa is carrying Kiyomori’s child. One day, Kiyomori finds that his valuable folding screen which has been kept at Tokiwa’s is damaged by scribble writings in black ink. Though it turns out to be Ushiwaka’s doing, Kiyomori does not scold him. Instead, Kiyomori tells Ushiwaka of his dream about a "new country". Tokiko insinuates Kiyomori about Tokiwa. Kiyomori, understanding Tokiko’s feeling, decides to marry Tokiwa off to Ichijo Naganari together with Ushiwaka. Though Ushiwaka misses the Heike people, Tokiwa tells him strongly to stop visiting the Heike residence.
平清盛（渡哲也）に助けられ、母・常盤（稲森いずみ）と京に住んでいる牛若（神木隆之介）は、平家の子どもたちと兄弟のように楽しいひとときを過ごす。清盛が常盤の所に通っていると知った時子（松坂慶子）は、ひそかに常盤を呼び出し、妊娠を知る。一方の清盛は、大切なびょうぶに落書きされているのを見て、それが牛若の仕業と知るが、しからず自ら落書きに加筆し「新しき国」の夢を牛若に語る。
