This is the first part of Suzuki’s Taisho trilogy (the other two are Kagerô-za from 1981 and Yumeji from 1991). During a holiday on the coast, university professor Aochi meets his childhood friend Nakasono, who is now a vagabond on the run from the police as a murder suspect. Aochi feels sorry for his old friend and takes him to dinner. While reminiscing about the old days, they both fall in love with the geisha Koine.