Tonomura has a singular taste in women. He likes them, but he wants them tattooed. To this end, young Osayo has herself decorated with a celebrated flying-angel pattern and in this way brings much pleasure to her patron. A young hoodlum named Shinnosuke also covets the tattooed maiden. He, decorated with the design of a famous thief, finally gets to her and she responds as she rarely does with her older lover. Also in love with her is a young girl named Okimi who has herself tattooed with a courtesan design just to please the older woman. Having done so, however, she becomes fair prey to the tattoo-loving Tonomura who loses no time in seducing her.
A young bartender acts as a pimp on the side: he pretends to have VD to get a girl an abortion. She is actually infected by another and plans her revenge.
This film is strongly anti-war film. The film is based on the collection of writings by Japanese student soldiers who died during World War II. The film is located to Burma. It shows the everyday problems of soldiers in contrast of their ideas and the cynicism of their commanders. Soldiers are also victims of military bullying by their commanders.
Two sisters, one a dancer and the other a script supervisor at a big movie studio, become embroiled in union activities when a strike is called in sympathy with striking railroad workers, one of whom boards with the sisters and their parents. The girls' father argues with them about their strike, but finds his views changing when he himself loses his job.
