Two years after a forest fire destroyed their hidden woodland home, a community of elves has resettled not in some remote magical realm, but in the very real Japanese prefecture of Kanagawa. They now live openly among humans, having fully integrated into modern society. The manga focuses on the daily life of an elf living in Yokohama and his unlikely roommate, a human from Kawasaki. This human, an otherwise ordinary young man, shares a bloodline with the elves, a connection that makes him the target of their casual insults, constant concern, and occasional attempts on his life.

The narrative is an episodic, fantasy comedy that uses its premise to explore local culture, often called "Kanagawa tropes." Each elf embodies the characteristics and quirks of the city or town they reside in. The Elf from Yokosuka, for instance, has the appearance of a beautiful young man in marine-inspired fashion but speaks with the wisdom and weariness of an elderly grandfather, often reminiscing about the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry's Black Ships as if it happened yesterday. The Elf from Sagamihara runs a landscaping business, uses his ability to talk to plants in his work, and holds a Level 1 Landscaping Construction Management Technician certification, while staunchly arguing that Machida City belongs to Kanagawa, not Tokyo. This territorial dispute fuels a recurring rivalry with the Orc from Machida, a hard-working but perpetually exhausted creature whose trash bin is always full of empty energy drink cans. Other characters include the party-loving Elf from Chigasaki who lives for BBQs and events, the former delinquent Elf from Hiratsuka who now attends a Shonan high school, and the Dark Elves from Noge and Isezakicho who prefer to gamble and drink.

The overarching storyline is less about a grand quest and more about the gentle, humorous collision of fantasy lifespans with the mundane rhythms of Japanese life. The elves, being functionally immortal, have a vastly different perception of time, finding novelty in things humans take for granted and a frustrating sense of stagnation in things like long-term construction projects. This is particularly highlighted by the Elf from Yokohama, whose high self-esteem leads him to act as the self-proclaimed ruler of Kanagawa, even as he nurses a secret embarrassment about still receiving financial support from his uncle. Meanwhile, the human roommate navigates the surreal chaos of living with a magical being while dealing with typical concerns like exhausting work and a mysterious little fairy, visible only to those with mana, that appears to offer unsolicited advice. The series builds its world not through escalating threats, but by introducing more of Kanagawa's personified residents, from the twin Elves of Miura (one a radish farmer, the other a tuna fisherman) to the five Elves of Ashigarakami District who work together to promote their local towns.