A Chaos of Flowers

One month after they fall in love, Akiko leaves her parents to move to Tokyo to be with Hiroshi. They marry, but gossip swirls that she drove Hiroshi's wife away. The scandal erupts as Hiroshi's magazine Bright Star struggles financially.

After attending the opera, Akiko is knocked over by a motorcycle driven by the author Takeo Arishima. He sends her a Western outfit as an apology gift, but she returns it to him. The encounter plants a cautious curiosity about him that will follow them.

The editor Akiko Hatano pressures Arishima to provide an essay about suicide for her publication, but he is reluctant to do so. He worries about the ethical and social consequences of such topics. Akiko's editorial demands add tension to their working relationship.

Hiroshi launches a bid for the House of Representatives, funded by Tomiko Yamakawa's uncle, Akiko's former rival. Akiko makes negative statements about the campaign, straining their marriage. Although Hiroshi loses, he chooses to stay with Tomiko while she recovers from tuberculosis.

The actress Sumiko hangs herself after her lover Hogetsu commits suicide, revealing the era's deep despair. The tragedies reverberate through their circle and foreshadow further sorrow. A memorial service soon follows, intensifying the emotional stakes for Akiko and her circle.

At the memorial service, Arishima asks Akiko to accompany him to his father's farm at the foot of Mount Yōtei in Hokkaido. Akiko tells her children she will return by Sunday, signaling a temporary departure for the journey. The plan hints at a new chapter but complicates family loyalties.

In Hokkaido, Arishima is briefly arrested for holding a socialist meeting with farmers. The arrest underscores the political tensions of the era and the risks of organizing. Akiko's alignment with him becomes a focal point of their shared fate.

Tomiko dies and Hiroshi returns home, leaving Akiko to confront the consequences of her choices. The family grapples with grief, political disappointment, and shifting loyalties. The household's stability fractures under mounting strain.

Akiko returns home from Hokkaido days later, and her children grow to hate her for what they see as selfish actions. The rift within the family deepens as blame and resentment fester. She faces the emotional cost of her pursuit of personal and artistic visions.

Arishima and the editor Akiko Hatano decide to commit suicide together, but they stop themselves at the last moment. They are caught in an embrace by Akiko's husband, who threatens to sue for adultery. The fragile entanglement of their relationships collapses into a precarious stalemate.

After the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake destroys the Yasano home, Akiko reads that anarchists Sakae Osugi and Noe Itou have been executed by the police. She witnesses two anarchist friends dragged by mounted police, and she rushes to offer them rice balls and encouragement to live on. The atrocity galvanizes her resolve to endure and rebuild.

Akiko and Hiroshi commit themselves to living on and rebuilding their home, reaffirming their bond and shared purpose despite the years of turmoil. The decision marks a hopeful turn as they face an uncertain, but resolute, future together.