Miaka Yuuki and her best friend Yui go to the library one day after school. They end up in the restricted section and find an ancient chinese book. As they read the book it begins to glow and they are sucked inside the pages. Once inside the encounter some slavers, but are quickly rescued by a young man with a glowing character on his body.

Yui is brought back out of the book unkown to Miaka. Alone she travels to the capital city of Konan. After a bit of trouble she finds the young man whose name is Tamahome, to pay him for saving her twice she goes to ask the Emperor for some of his jewels. Being the clumsy fool she is however she trips and she and Tamahome are arrested. The Emperor  believes that Miaka is not an evil witch, but is the foretold Priestess of Suzaku. He reveals himself to be Hotohori and asks Miaka to be their Preiestess and saviour. She agrees, and Hotohori reveals to her the secrets of the scroll of the Universe of the Four Gods.

The world is divided into four parts, North, South, East and West and each Country has their own God, Genbu, Suzaku, Seiryuu and Byakko respectively. The sky has twenty-eight constellations in it and each Country/God has seven. These Seven Constellations appear as characters on a person's body and are the protector of the priestess for that God. The Priestess must find all seven warriors and bring them together to summon her god, only then will she be granted her three wishes. Miaka is the priestess of Suzaku.

As the story unfolds, Yui is sucked back into the book and is made into the priestess of Seiryuu, Suzaku's enemy. Miaka and Yui get into an argument, and Yui does not want Miaka to summon Suzaku. With the help of Nakago, a seiryuu warrior, Yui makes sure Miaka does not have it easy in her quest to gather her celestial warriors. Soon Miaka and Yui are going head to head to gather items to summon their beast God first.