A Tale of Mari and Three Puppies

While returning home through Yamakoshi, Aya and Ryota encounter an abandoned Shiba Inu that follows them. They are initially reluctant because their grandfather dislikes dogs, but the dog keeps returning and eventually they bring it home secretly and decide to adopt it.

To keep the dog, Aya persuades their grandfather by claiming the dog is for her birthday. The grandfather reluctantly agrees after being pressed by Aya's pleas, setting the stage for a new family dynamic.

The agreement sparks a quarrel between Aya's father and the grandfather about the dog's place in the family. The father worries about the dog affecting village life and family plans, highlighting generational differences.

Aya names the dog Mari and the creature gradually integrates into daily life at home. The dog earns her place despite initial resistance and becomes a companion for the children.

A year after adoption, Mari gives birth to three lively puppies, bringing a new sense of joy to the household. The family watches the pups grow and begins to rely on Mari even more.

That spring, animals behave strangely, foreshadowing that something major is coming. A growing sense of unease settles over the village as signs appear around them.

On 23 October 2004, the Chūetsu earthquake devastates the village, leaving homes in ruin. The grandfather and Aya are pinned by a collapsed wardrobe, while Mari moves her puppies to safety and bravely helps nearby.

Ryota and his father escape to the emergency shelter, where rescuers by helicopter begin evacuations. Mari unexpectedly leads the rescuers to Aya and the grandfather, enabling their extraction from the wreckage.

As Aya is being evacuated, she pleads for Mari to accompany her. The rescuer reluctantly refuses, feeling remorse for the separation, and later apologizes when they meet again at the shelter.

Without her owner, Mari does her best to protect the three puppies and keep them fed. She patiently awaits Aya's return, staying by the makeshift home and offering small acts of care.

Aya learns from a newspaper that torrential rain could flood Yamakoshi, prompting her and Ryota to sneak back into the disaster zone to rescue Mari. They face debris, aftershocks, and heavy rain, with Aya sustaining injuries during the attempt.

Their father locates Aya and Ryota after a long, anxious search, bringing relief to the frightened children. The reunion underscores the danger the family endured during the rescue.

After a tense search, a puppy appears, followed by the other two, confirming that Mari and her three puppies have survived. The family returns the dogs to the shelter amid applause from the villagers.

In 2005, the family moves into a temporary shelter, and life gradually returns to normal. Mari continues to live there with her three puppies, providing a sense of continuity amid the recovery.