Manchuria, near the end of World War II - Kyoko Natsuki, whose father is a practicing physician, meets a young medical soldier, Hayami Kaori, one day. The two are attracted to each other and fall in love. However, with the end of the war, things change drastically, and an uneasy atmosphere hangs over Manchuria. The two are united in the confusion of the repatriation, but Kaori, a former soldier, is captured by the Soviet army... What will become of the fate of the two people who are torn apart? Won the Kodansha Publishing Culture Award in 1974.