The Shikon Jewel, also known as the Jewel of the Four Souls, was stolen by the half-demon Inu Yasha some centuries ago in feudal Japan. It is stated that wearing this jewel greatly enhances its owner's abilities. His happiness, however, is short-lived for the priestess Kikyou, although suffering grievous wounds, is able to tie Inu Yasha to the Goshinboku tree, throw him into an endless sleep, and steal the diamond.
Kagome Higurashi's grandfather tries to tell her this story in the present, but she shows little interest in it. However, fate appears to be a fickle being because when Kagome must descend into a fabled well the following morning on her 15th birthday to cure her hangover, she is immediately whisked away to that precise time in her grandfather's past.
And then everything comes to a head: of all people, Kagome carries the Shikon Jewel within her, must rescue the desperately ill Inu Yasha, and then, just moments later, is at blame for the jewel shattering into hundreds of splinters. Even worse, while being responsible for overseeing its recuperation, she neglects to do so and even manages to return to her own time. In the end, Kagome joins Inu Yasha in the hunt for the jewel shards after realizing she can't simply flee her fate any longer.
