Shangri-La

The wealthy Korijima of Uwazoko-ya declares bankruptcy, leaving Shosuke Umemoto's printing shop owed 10 million yen from a contract. This failure to pay pushes Shosuke's brother Chusuke deeper into debt to the loan shark Shoko, who is owed 9 million. The financial blow sets off the chain of events that follows.

Shosuke contemplates killing himself in his car due to mounting debts, but interrupts the plan when a man from the nearby homeless village is injured by the Seiryu mob. He chooses to help the injured stranger, shifting from despair toward action. This act ties his fate to the village's subsequent schemes.

Following the attack on the homeless village, its members organize a complex blackmail operation aimed at Korijima. They marshal the village's resources to leverage assets and influence power dynamics in the city. The plan marks a pivot from direct confrontation to calculated financial manipulation.

A liquidator arrives at Shosuke's printing shop and confiscates nearly everything, sparing only Shosuke's father's Heidel printer. He leaves Shosuke with 1.3 million yen and schedules the office-supplies pickup for the evening of the 27th. The loss forces Shosuke to seek new funding or collaborate with the village.

The homeless village's Mayor borrows 600,000 yen from Shosuke to support their operations. This loan binds Shosuke more closely to the village's activities and their looming scheme. The money becomes a bargaining chip for later extortion.

The village Deputy Kuwata, a former postal worker, provides funds to Okajima to buy 100 shares in Dango Construction, a company with ties to the Department of Public Works. This investment places the conspirators inside influential corporate networks and gives them financial leverage.

When Shoko demands repayment, the Mayor reveals himself as Kiyota the Hitman and convinces Shoko to forgive the debt in exchange for ten blank checks. Shosuke uses those checks to forge bank drafts using Dango's seal, then hides the drafts in a wallet at an ATM. The forgery accelerates the scheme's financial manipulation.

A man discovers the forged wallet, and the conspirators urge the newspapers to publish a story about the find to guarantee a reward. The publicity fuels investor uncertainty and contributes to volatility in Dango Construction's share price.

Kiyota's former lover Mari, pregnant by another man, lends him money to help advance the scheme. Her financial support keeps the operation afloat amid personal risk and rising tension.

Seisuke and his wife abandon their children and elderly mother with Seisuke's brother and run away to the homeless village to avoid the liquidator's approach. The move consolidates the village's role in executing the plan.

The village uses the Heidel printer to produce four-color flyers for a fake fresh fish festival, with back-side images exposing Korijima's large private assets discovered by Ume. They extort 20 million yen from Korijima in exchange for the flyers, plates, photos, and negatives.

Dango Construction's share price initially sinks, but news that the CEO has a young mistress boosts investor confidence and drives the price up again. The conspirators sell their shares at the peak to secure a sizable fortune.

Rather than keeping the gains, the villagers decide to give all the money to Shosuke and his wife so they can pay their employees and return to life in the city. The gesture ties the community’s success back to Shosuke's family and their future.