Tomoya Okazaki is a third year high school student whose mother died when he was young, leaving his father to raise him. Severe drinking problems caused Tomoya's father to become violent; during one of the quarrels, he injured his son. Their relationship has seemingly improved since then, but Tomoya's injuries, mental and physical, have led him to a delinquent life. This changes when he meets Nagisa Furukawa, a soft-spoken girl who gets sick easily. Tomoya begins to help her reform a drama club she failed to join last year, and gradually changes his view about life.
Clannad is a visual novel where the player's interaction is limited to making choices that affect the story. The game is divided into two parts: one that tells Tomoya's story, and another that continues with the lives of its main characters later on. To access the second part, the player must complete all the scenarios in the first part by replaying it multiple times.