Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family

The Toda family gathers to celebrate Shintarō's 69th birthday with an outdoor commemorative photoshoot. The event highlights their upper-class status as they pose together for the camera. The session foreshadows the upheaval that follows.

Shortly after the photo session, Shintarō suffers a fatal heart attack. The sudden loss shocks the family and triggers the realization that life under their patriarch's protection has changed. The event becomes the catalyst for the financial crisis to come.

Shin'ichirō announces that their father had acted as guarantor for a bankrupt company. The revelation means the family must help pay off the debts to prevent further ruin. The burden forces them to rethink their finances and future.

The family sells off most of their late father's properties and valuable possessions. What remains is reduced to the old house by the sea, a symbol of their diminished status. The sale marks a decisive break from their former wealth and lifestyle.

The mother and Setsuko go to stay with Shin'ichirō and his wife Kazuko. The arrangement shifts family dynamics as the elder generation relies on Shin'ichirō's household. Tensions with Kazuko begin to emerge as expectations clash.

The unmarried second brother Shōjirō moves from Japan to Tianjin, China. His departure widens the geographic and emotional distance among the siblings. The move foreshadows future separations.

The mother and Setsuko do not get along with Kazuko and depart to stay with Chizuko, the married eldest sister. The living arrangement exposes class and familial tensions within the Toda clan. Their stay with Chizuko intensifies the strain there as well.

Setsuko expresses a wish to go out to work, but Chizuko objects, deeming it disgraceful for an upper-class family. The dispute reflects the strict social codes governing the family. The mother also contends with Chizuko over her son's truancy, highlighting broader tensions.

Rather than staying with Ayako, Setsuko and the mother decide to move to the unsold, dilapidated house by the sea. Ayako and her husband privately feel relieved at not having to take them in, underscoring the fragility of kinship.

On the first anniversary of Shintarō's death, the family comes together for a ceremonial gathering. The mood is taut as old resentments and changing fortunes come into sharper relief. The gathering lays bare the fractures within the Toda family.

Shōjirō arrives in time for the family dinner and discovers his mother and Setsuko are living by the sea. He sharply reprimands his siblings for not fulfilling their duties and urges them to leave the gathering. The moment crystallizes the expectations of duty and filial responsibility.

After the dinner, Shōjirō invites his mother and Setsuko to stay with him in Tianjin. They agree to move, signaling a plan to leave the Toda household for a more independent life. The invitation demonstrates a shift in family loyalties toward a new center of gravity.

Setsuko tries to arrange a marriage between Shōjirō and her unmarried friend Tokiko, who is visiting. The attempt reveals the social pressures and matchmaking ambitions within the circle. Shōjirō, however, escapes to the beach before any introductions can occur.

Shōjirō runs off to the beach, signaling his desire to escape the mounting family tensions and expectations. The scene closes with him at the edge of the sea, embodying the pull of freedom versus duty for the Toda siblings.