A coming-of-age story portrayed as the loss of all youthful illusions. Sixteen-year-old Yoichi dreams of becoming a sailor. His parents are fishmongers, and Yoichi lives together with them and his four siblings in cramped living conditions. His beloved younger sister is given to a wealthy, childless uncle; his best friend moves away; the girl he fell in love with from afar is with someone else: little by little, Yoichi loses all the people that are important to him.
Shinji Tanaka
Yôichi Akimoto
Yūko Mochizuki
Yôichi's mother, Oshin
Takahiro Tamura
Sudô
Yoshiko Kuga
Yôichi's older sister, Toyoko
Isuzu Yamada
Seiji's mother, Kiyo
Eijirō Tōno
Yôichi's father, Genkichi
Shinichi Himori
Nobuo Nakamura
Seiji's father, Haruo
Noriko Arita
Teruko Kishi
Noriko Kikuoki
Yôichi's younger sister, Kazue
Kaoru Nobe
