Dai Miyamoto's life is turned upside down the day he discovers jazz. A former high school basketball player, Dai picks up a saxophone and begins practicing day and night, determined to become one of the greatest of all time. He leaves his sleepy hometown for the bustling nightclubs of Tokyo, but soon finds the life of a professional musician is not for the faint of heart. His passion eventually wins over the cocky but talented pianist Yukinori, and after Dai convinces his friend Shunji to learn the drums, they launch a new jazz trio whose rough sound contains a raw energy that quickly wins attention from local audiences. But what does it take to truly be great?
Shimazaki Sanpo is an experienced mountain climber and rescue team volunteer. Sanpo loves the mountains and wants as many people as possible to experience everything they have to offer so much so that he never holds a grudge against anyone for causing an accident due to their own negligence. Even if a fellow rescuer dies, he's the kind of man who can look toward the corpse and say "You did your best." One spring, newcomer Shiina Kumi is assigned to the Nagano prefecture mountain rescue team where she experiences growth thanks to Sanpo's guidance and the seemingly harsh training methods of the team's captain, Noda. However, she becomes depressed when she's unable to translate her skills to a real-life situation. As her confidence wanes, multiple accidents occur simultaneously due to a mountain blizzard, forcing the entire team into action.
