Tohru Honda was an orphan when one day fate kicked her out of the house and on to land belonging to the mysterious Sohma family. After stumbling upon the teenage squatter, the Sohmas invite Tohru to stay in their house in exchange for cooking and cleaning. Everything goes well until she discovers the Sohma family's secret: when hugged by members of the opposite sex, they turn into their Chinese Zodiac animal!

First published in Japan in 1999 by Hakusensha, Inc., Tokyo.