Wife of a Spy

The Japanese military police seize a British silk merchant on espionage charges, and warn Yūsaku Fukuhara that authorities are watching him under the National Mobilization Law. Taiji, the unit's new leader and Satoko’s childhood friend, cautions that Yūsaku's western tastes and foreign connections draw scrutiny. The arrest and warning set the tense backdrop for the couple's life and Yūsaku's future decisions.

Satoko stars as a glamorous thief in an amateur heist film with Yūsaku's nephew Fumio, which Yūsaku later screens during the office's bōnenkai. The private film overlays her public image with hints of danger and intrigue. The screening foreshadows the film's later role in exposing secrets to authorities.

After New Year, Yūsaku and Fumio embark on a two-week business trip to Manchuria to import cheap medicine and goods. Their mission abruptly lengthens, and they return with a woman named Hiroko Kusakabe. Satoko grows suspicious of Yūsaku's unexplained activities and the people he travels with.

Back in Kobe, Fumio announces he will leave the company for a ryokan in Arima to write about his Manchuria experiences before he is drafted. The move signals a shift toward personal writing and potential entanglement with authorities. He leaves the office behind as the war looms.

Taiji mentions Hiroko's alleged murder and that Yūsaku has applied for passports for himself and Hiroko to depart Japan. Satoko's trust frays as she confronts the reality of dangerous secrets behind their comfortable life. The discovery deepens the rift between her and Yūsaku.

Satoko receives a package containing notes from a doctor and a short film of experiments. She hands it to Yūsaku, hoping for safety, but a toppled chessboard reveals the safe is open and the Japanese notebook missing. The tension builds as a key piece of evidence seems to have vanished.

Taiji arrests Fumio, who is tortured for allegedly sharing national secrets with the enemy. Taiji doubts the truth of a forced confession, but a notebook given to him by an anonymous citizen implicates broader intrigue. The notebook hints at connections involving Yūsaku and the ongoing case.

Yūsaku returns home and learns Satoko gave the notebook to Taiji, hoping to shield him. They watch the first portion of the amateur film, which includes shots of the notebook's pages, and realize there is a longer, more detailed film. Yūsaku resolves to show the Americans the full truth in the name of justice.

In 1941, the U.S. oil embargo blocks Japan's exit routes, making any legal escape impossible. Yūsaku decides to smuggle himself out of the country and asks Satoko to accompany him. They prepare to swap money for passage and contemplate splitting up to maximize their chances of survival.

Satoko hides in a shipping crate bound for Shanghai, but a smuggler betrays them and points her out to the police. Yūsaku carries out a plan to swap the film of the experiments with an amateur film of Satoko and Fumio to protect the truth. Satoko is released when the film is revealed; Yūsaku sails toward Shanghai in a small fishing boat.

Yūsaku's escape succeeds as he sails away toward Shanghai, leaving Satoko behind to continue their mission separately. He believes exposing the wartime horrors to the Allies is the best chance for justice. The journey marks a separation in their paths but keeps their goal intact.

By March 1945, Satoko is confined to a mental hospital with Dr. Nozaki promising to help her escape through his university connections. An air raid on Kobe destroys the hospital, and Satoko wanders barefoot to the beach, crying and searching for a way out. The event devastates her chances of freedom and signals a turning point in her life.

Dr. Nozaki mentions rumors that Yūsaku was seen in Bombay boarding a ship to Los Angeles, presumed sunk. The rumor underscores the couple's unresolved hopes and the peril surrounding their mission. The film hints that their quest for truth remains unfinished.

The final notes reveal that Yūsaku Fukuhara was declared dead in 1946, though signs of forgery on the death certificate cast doubt on the official record. Satoko eventually leaves for the United States a few years later, continuing their legacy of seeking justice. The ending frames their sacrifices against the war’s devastation and unresolved fate.