While working in a cinema, Gintoki comes upon a "movie thief" (a figure in Japanese culture often depicted as a man with a video camera as a head, stand in as someone who illegally film in cinemas). After scolding the movie thief for his actions, he finds himself warped into another world via the camera lens. In this world, 5 years have passed, and not only has the land of Edo changed into an apocalyptic wasteland, but it is stated Gintoki has passed away. The movie thief, or Time Thief the time machine, explains mankind is close to extinction, and gives Gintoki an item to disguise himself. After the Time Thief is damaged by criminals, Gintoki encounters his freelancer comrades: Shinpachi Shimura, who has turned into a cool samurai with no trace of tsukkomi, and Kagura, who has changed into a beautiful woman with no Chinese speech pattern. The future's Gintoki is assumed to have died as a result of the "White Curse." Kagura and Shinpachi have been trying to deal with their leader's disappearance and Gintoki, disguised thanks to the Time Thief, tries to help them overcome their sadness. Gintoki, Kagura and Shinpachi go to the execution of the Shinsengumi leader Isao Kondo, Joi terrorist Kotaro Katsura and mechanic Gengai Hiraga. Kondo and Katsura are saved by their underlings Sogo Okita, Toshiro Hijikata and Elizabeth who have joined forces to form a new group opposing the bakufu while Gengai is revealed to be an imposter. Interacting with the new group Gintoki learns the White Curse was started by a group of sorcerers known as Enmi who Gintoki's Joi faction fought in a previous war. Gintoki was infected with a virus which had undergone an incubation period and the future's Gintoki disappeared while fighting it. One victim of the White Curse is Shinpachi's sister, Tae, who is close to her death. In order to cure her, Gintoki's friends go to search for the Enmi. Gintoki finds and kills the Enmi who is revealed to be the future's Gintoki who set this series of events off to be killed by his past self. Despite the death of the future Gintoki, the White Curse does not stop. Gintoki used the repaired Time Thief to go back to the past and kill his past self from the war, the White Demon, before the virus goes into incubation. However, the White Demon is actually Taizo Hasegawa. It is revealed that Tama is the Time Thief who was used by the people from the future to stop Gintoki from erasing his existence and help him defeat the Enmi before the curse starts. Together with his friends and the real White Demon, Gintoki defeats the Enmi stopping them from starting the curse. Everybody returns to their own timeline and Gintoki reunites with the Yorozuya.