Noriko is an unpublished comic artist and writer. Her husband, Akira, works for a company that is being restructured. Recently, the company has been plagued by complaints about its products, and Akira, who has a strong conscience, stops shipments of the products without consulting his supervisors. He is fiercely reprimanded by an executive. Akira quickly descends into a spiral of depression. He is always tired, and he talks about death. His wife tries to come to grips with his illness.