Ryohei Arisu is a young man who struggles to connect with his family and spends time hanging out with his friends, Daikichi Karube and Chōta Segawa. Arisu and Chota are often immature and do not try at school, whilst Karube manages a bar and urges the two to get their lives together. The trio are at a train station when they see fireworks so blinding they have to cover their eyes, and when they open them they find themselves back in Karube's bar, which is now abandoned and all of the buildings covered in vegetation. The trio get drunk and play games together, but Karube becomes worried and urges the pair to take things seriously. After stepping into what seems to be an empty festival, they are greeted by Saori Shibuki who tells them that they have already "entered their game". The game is 'Three of Clubs' named 'Good Fortune Bad Fortune' where they have to answer obscure questions and if they get it wrong flaming arrows are shot at them. Karube and Shibuki argue, causing Chota to have to guess the answer quickly and have arrows fired at them. The questions continue, and Chota's leg is severely burned, but apart from that all four escape. Shibuki reveals to them that, in Borderland, they must play games to survive, with the number of each game the number of days they have until they have to play another game. Shibuki arrived in the Borderlands several days earlier where she played 'Two of Hearts' and was the only survivor, traumatising her. Due to Chota's injury, Shibuki volunteers to stay behind to tend to him, whilst the other two go into the 'Five of Spades', other players include climber Yuzuha Usagi and sly player Shuntaro Chishiya. Only those four survive the game, with Arisu and Usagi managing to complete it together. Arisu, Karube, Chota and Shibuki enter the 'Seven of Hearts' game where it's revealed only one can survive, the other three all decide sacrifice themselves for Arisu. As Arisu remains in despair, he meets Usagi again, she takes pity on him and they decide to partner up.