Clad in a blood-soaked coat and with no destination in mind, a young boy named Reto wanders into an Ainu village amidst a blizzard, whose residents provide him with much-needed shelter. All he has are two things: the memory of his mother dying before his eyes, and an ancient hunting knife without a blade...

The cries of war come soon from France, while a young boy destined for greatness simply cries in pain from a fateful blow to his head in Bonn, Germany. Ludwig van Beethoven will grow to become one of the most influential composers in a few short years, but in his early days, he was just a commoner trying to survive in a world that had yet to discover his brilliance. At this age, he wasn’t a renowned composer: he was a young man simply named “Ludwig,” which inspired hatred and fear in a certain nobleman, Franz Kreuzstein. But why does Franz have it out for all named “Ludwig,” and how will Beethoven survive this personal war he is deaf to?