Takagi loves playing good-natured pranks on her classmate Nishikata. But try as he might, he can never prank her back — she's just too clever!

After an outburst at school involving her son, a concerned single mother demands answers, triggering a sequence of deepening suspicion and turmoil.

In post-war Japan's economic boom, gangster family-born Kikuo Tachibana finds himself adopted by a kabuki actor. Despite life's challenges, he develops into a gifted performer.