Depressed and in debt, Santoshi tells his young daughter that he is going to find an infamous serial killer and collect a reward. However, when Santoshi disappears without a trace, she starts to fear the worst and begins searching for him.
In 1964, Momoko came by herself to Tokyo from her hometown. She met Shūzō and married him. They raised two children together, but Shūzō suddenly passes away. Momoko is dumbfounded by being alone again. She begins to go to the library and borrows books. This changes her life.
In a fading village in the Japanese countryside, the school is about to be closed, which weighs heavily on the students. Freshly arrived from Tokyo with his father after an acrimonious divorce, the shy Akira escapes into drawing and agrees to participate in a mural project to mark the end of the institution.
