One day, while walking in the bamboo forest, an old childless bamboo cutter came across a mysterious, shining stalk of bamboo. After cutting it open, he found inside it a baby the size of his thumb. He rejoiced to find such a beautiful girl and took her home. He and his wife raised her as their own child and named her Kaguya-hime. Kaguya-hime grew from a small baby into a woman of usual size and extraordinary beauty.

Book is read from back to front.