Release, runtime and language

1997 · 114 mins · Japanese

Directed by

Kei Kumai

Starring

Keiju Kobayashi, Tsunehiko Kamijô, Moeko Ezawa, Chieko Matsubara, Atsuro Watabe, Ken Nishida

Mitsu, a factory worker, falls for Tsutomu, a young man she meets on the streets of Tokyo. After a night of deception, Tsutomu, scarred by his broken home, abandons her, but returns a month later; they reunite, move in together and enjoy a brief happiness. A strange sore on Mitsu’s arm is diagnosed as leprosy, prompting her to check into a leper sanatorium where she bonds with the residents and brings them hope. When doctors later reveal the diagnosis was wrong, she wants to return to Tsutomu but realizes leaving her new friends would cause them further sorrow.