Um filme biográfico de estilo livre sobre Ikki Kita, o intelectual ultranacionalista japonês, cujas as ideias inspiraram o golpe militar fracassado em 1936. Ikki Kita foi um autor japonês, filósofo intelectual e político que atuou no início do período Shōwa no Japão. Um severo crítico do sistema do Imperador e da Constituição Meiji, ele afirmou que os japoneses não eram o povo do imperador, mas que o Imperador era o "Imperador do Povo".
Taichiro
Yoji Kitami, a fisherman's son, is a student in Tokyo. His father had died at sea and Taichiro, his brother, is sending him to the university. But the outbreak of violence by radical students and blockade of classrooms make studying impossible and Yoji goes home. Fortunately, he meets Katsuyuki Shinoda, a childhood friend, who works on a whaling vessel. Yoji decides to join him and rediscover a meaning in life. But finding sidework on a whaler is not so easy and Ogaki, a veteran harpooner, curtly turns him down. But finally, deeply touched by Yoji's earnestness, Ogaki reluctantly agrees to take him with them. Rules are very strict, for even one slight slip-up may jeopardize the safety of the entire ship. For a long time, it seems like a living hell, but with patience and courage, he begins to learn the ropes. And the day they sight their first whale, Yoji comes into his own and finds the real meaning of life.
