The 19th Century was a turbulent one for Japan. Enduring the throes of change brought about by the Meiji era, it still struggled to join the world and be considered a "civilized, modern nation." Saka no Ue no Kumo covers the later years of the Meiji, when Japan-still wrestling with its identity-fought the Russo-Japanese War. We join the story with brothers Akiyama Yoshifuru and Akiyama Saneyuki, and their friend, the poet Masaoka Shiki, as they face these travails with decided Japanese spirit.