Despite being a renowned and respected writer, Tokio feels his life is empty. His work is mundane, his marriage lost its passion years ago, and the dissatisfaction with his daily routine is frustrating. But everything changes when he receives a letter from Yoshiko, a young admirer who asks to become his apprentice.

The arrival of his new pupil awakens feelings in Tokio that seemed long forgotten, and he is captivated by his disciple's beauty and talent. But Yoshiko is not content with leading the submissive and discreet life expected of a young woman; she goes out with her friends and begins a relationship with another student. Unable to stop it, jealousy takes hold of Tokio, unleashing a storm of obsessive passion, a constant struggle between desire and societal expectations.

A precursor of Japanese naturalism, Tayama drew inspiration from his own life to shape a story that unabashedly reveals the innermost thoughts of its protagonist and reflects the contradictions of an era in which women were beginning to demand control over their own lives and claim their own space in a rapidly evolving Japan.