Johnny Casar (Mickey Rooney) runs away from a home for wayward boys, tired of being teased about being short and a poor athlete. He soon finds a pair of roller skates and is befriended by Bruno Crystal (Ralph Dumke), who allows him to wash dishes at his café, while a priest who runs the home, Father O'Hara (Pat O'Brien), secretly keeps an eye on him.
　　A traveling roller-skating team takes an interest in Johnny after he shows some aptitude. He clashes with Mack Miller (Glen Corbett), a cocky champion, and falls for Mary Reeves (Beverly Tyler), another top skater. Johnny ends up featured in grudge matches against Miller, where they take turns one-upping one another.
　　As his fame grows, Johnny becomes every bit as arrogant as Miller and more. Life takes a bad turn when he is diagnosed with polio. A long period of physical therapy follows, until a wheelchair-bound Johnny tries to get his life back on track.

寬永十五年，德川幕府打壓天主教徒，導(dǎo)致爆發(fā)血腥殘酷的島原之亂。在這起事件中，約有兩萬名天主教徒慘遭殺害。及至深夜，滿懷巨大仇恨的教眾首領(lǐng)天草四郎時貞（沢田研二 飾）復(fù)活，他捐棄信仰，轉(zhuǎn)生魔界，發(fā)誓報復(fù)幕府統(tǒng)治者。在此之后，他接連將細(xì)川夫人（佳那晃子 飾）的怨靈、瀕臨壽終卻心存遺憾的宮本武藏（緒形拳 飾）以及寶藏院胤舜（室田日出男 飾）、遭遇滅族的伊賀忍者霧丸（真田広之 飾）拉入魔界，邪魔的力量陡然倍增。細(xì)川化身阿玉迷惑四代將軍家綱（松橋登 飾），柳生但馬守宗矩（若山富三郎 飾）有心除魔，無奈天不假年，更在彌留之際墮入魔道。柳生十兵衛(wèi)（千葉真一 飾）成為鏟除邪魔外道的最后希望……