Manhunt

Morioka is accused of theft by a woman and again by a man, and the stolen items are discovered at his house. He flees the house through the bathroom window as investigators close in. His superior revokes his position and orders a manhunt, assigning detective Yamura to the case.

Morioka tracks one accuser to Makami Village in the Noto Peninsula and finds her dead. The police later uncover a wedding photo of her and the other accuser among her possessions, deepening the mystery. They trace her husband Yokomichi Keiji to Kounogi in Hokkaido, where the police set up an ambush.

After escaping the ambush, he moves through the woods and disarms a tripwire linked to a shotgun, using the moment to scare off a bear attacking a woman in a tree. The bear then pursues him, driving him off a cliff into a river. Mayumi, the woman he saves, nurses him back to health at her family home.

While recovering, Morioka introduces himself as Maeda. Mayumi's father Tonami Yohinori recognizes him as Morioka and, impressed by his predicament, offers assistance.

Tonami's assistant Nakayama calls the police to aid Tonami's political ambitions, forcing Morioka to flee the family home. Mayumi chases after him on horseback, and later tells Yamura what she has done.

Yamura tracks Mayumi to a seaside shanty and corners Morioka, escorting them back toward Mayumi's home at gunpoint. As they walk, a bear attacks, clawing Yamura and injuring him. Morioka tends Yamura's wounds with a burning branch and then escapes with Mayumi to a cave hideout, where they lie low.

Tonami Yohinori locates the pair at the cave and offers a private plane to help Morioka reach Tokyo. He withdraws from the gubernatorial race and sends Mayumi to Tokyo under the pretense of a business deal.

Morioka's escape ends with a crash landing on a beach near Mito; he evades roadblocks in a truck and hurries toward Tokyo, where he falls ill. An unknown woman recognizes him from wanted posters and offers aid, nursing him back to health.

That night he is spotted by police in Tokyo and pursued through crowded streets. Mayumi arrives to rescue him, riding a horse-drawn procession that breaks through a shield wall set up by the police.

Yamura arrives at Mayumi's hotel and shows Morioka the Yokomichi medical record, revealing a mental hospital network controlled by the Nagaoka Company. He hints at links between Representative Ryosuke and Asakura's death, and a Tonan company extortion scheme involving guinea pigs.

Morioka and Mayumi escape before the police arrive, prompting Yamura's superior to reprimand him and remind him of the five-year sentence for deals with suspects.

Morioka and Mayumi drive to the mental hospital, pretend Morioka is Mayumi's husband, and have him committed as Tsuyama. Doctor Doto taunts him, shows Yokomichi in a sedated state, and subjects him to strong sedatives while imprisoning him; Morioka secretly pockets sedatives and slips one to Mayumi during a visit.

Representative Ryosuke visits the hospital and a demonstration of the AX drug is performed, showing how it can control will and force obedience. The drug is portrayed as a tool to purge dissidents.

Morioka is forced to write a suicide note and taken to a rooftop; instead he explains that Asakura was duped into jumping due to the drug manipulation. Orderlies attempt to strangle him as Yamura and Hosoi arrive; Doto commits suicide by jumping from the roof and Sakai is found dead.

Morioka, Yamura, and Hosoi corner Ryosuke's men and shoot Ryosuke in self-defense as they reveal the truth about the drug AX. The General Prosecutor accepts the explanation but Morioka will still face prosecution for some actions; he declares that some criminals cannot be tackled by law alone and resigns as a prosecutor. He decides to live on the run with Mayumi.