Kaoru Fukazawa is a manga artist. His manga series was published for eight years, but has now finished. He doesn't have any ideas for his next work. His situation seems bleak, with his editor seeming to not care about him anymore and his relationship with his wife Nozomi Machida being troubled. He spends his days in despair and darkness. Kaoru visits a business that provides sexual services and meets a prostitute named Chifuyu, who attracts him. They decide to head to Chifuyu's hometown together.

Downfall

Kei (Izumi Fujimoto) is a 19-year-old college art major. She moves to Kobe from Tokyo due to her father's work transfer. There, she learns about the Great Hanshin Earthquake from residents in Kobe.  Kei meets a wheelchair bound illustrator, Yoji (Eiji Sugawara). Even though he is physically disabled, he works hard. With earnings he makes from his paintings, he donates the proceeds to help revive various areas still suffering from the earthquake disaster. Kei becomes inspired by him and goes through a change.