Cruel Story of Youth

Makoto Shinjo hitches a ride, but the driver makes a wrongful move to molest her. Kiyoshi Fuji intervenes and stops the assault, saving her from immediate danger. He then escorts her away, setting the stage for the complex relationship that follows.

On their first encounter as a couple, Kiyoshi takes Makoto on a date that begins with watching the Anpo Protests against the US-Japan Security Treaty. The tense political atmosphere foreshadows the volatile path ahead. They navigate a mix of danger, attraction, and uncertainty.

Later in the same outing, they ride a motorboat along a river. During the trip, Kiyoshi rapes Makoto, marking a brutal turn in their relationship. The violence reveals the coercive power dynamic at the heart of their bond.

After a night out, Makoto becomes the target of gangsters who traffic women. Kiyoshi confronts them and drives them away, with Makoto paying a price to keep them at bay. The encounter underscores the criminal world surrounding them.

Kiyoshi rapes Makoto again, continuing the pattern of coercive control. The violence deepens as their relationship remains entangled in crime. Makoto's tolerance is stretched to its limit.

Makoto confronts Kiyoshi, telling him she loves him and does not want their relationship to continue this way. Over time, they fall in love and she chooses to live with him, despite her older sister Yuki's rebuke. The bond deepens even as the crime around them continues.

To make money, Makoto seduces male drivers while Kiyoshi extorts them. The duo shifts from personal abuse to a financial scheme that profits from vulnerability. Their criminal enterprise grows more brazen as they ride the wave of fear and greed.

A middle-aged businessman named Horio picks up Makoto and makes her feel happy, so she does not target him. The arrangement adds complexity to their dynamic and foreshadows further complications. Makoto's choices become increasingly interwoven with Horio's presence.

Makoto discovers she is pregnant, and Kiyoshi urges her to have an abortion. She resists the pressure to exploit another driver, trying to preserve some autonomy within their toxic relationship. The pregnancy raises the stakes for both.

An abortion is performed illegally at Akimoto's clinic, and soon after the couple is arrested for extortion. They confess to their crimes as the net tightens around them. The legal troubles expose the fragility of their criminal world.

With the help of Kiyoshi's older lover, the couple is released from custody and Akimoto is arrested. They escape a harsher punishment, but the damage to their relationship has already been done. The legal victory is overshadowed by their ongoing crimes.

Kiyoshi breaks up with Makoto to spare her from further harm, but the gangsters track him down after the motorbike used in extortion is stolen. He refuses to surrender Makoto, and is killed in the confrontation.

At the same time, Makoto accepts a ride from a passerby; when the driver refuses to let her out, she jumps from the car to her death. The film ends with the two lovers' fates converging in tragedy.