In the year 1926, Machiko Hasegawa is a 6-year-old child and lives in Fukuoka. She is a bright girl, who enjoys playing outdoors. At home, she loves to draw. Her father is a handsome mining engineer and he loves his family more than anything else. When Machiko is 14-years-old her father passes away. The rest of her family decides to move to Tokyo. Her mother than makes a quick decision and sends 15-year-old Machiko to manga artist Tagawa as his student.  Machiko's life is peaceful, but the oncoming war makes things tense. Machiko's family moves back to Fukuoka. When the war is about to end, the local newspaper asks Machiko to publish a serial manga. Machiko has difficulties in coming up with an idea for the manga series and decides to go to the nearby Momochi Seaside Park. She watches the ocean and comes up with the idea for manga series "Sazae-san".