Spring, 1941. Sixteen-year-old Toshihiko attends school in the coastal town of Karatsu, where his aunt cares for his ailing cousin. Immersed in the seaside's nature and culture, Toshihiko soon befriends the town's other extraordinary adolescents as they all contend with the war's gravitational pull.
Хозяйка маленького питейного заведения Мицуё Кавамото живет в рыбацкой деревушке вместе с сыном-подростком Итиро. В ответ на вопросы сына об отце Мицуё говорит, что он умер. На самом деле Итиро родился от брака Мицуё с Сэндзо Сакума, обувщиком из Токио, от которого Мицуё сбежала: распутная жизнь, которую вел обувщик, стала невыносимой.
Magically gifted boy Sasuke lives in peace, deep in the forest with his animal pals and Oyu, his elder sister. After their forest sanctuary is violated by a demon witch who devours one of Sasuke's animal companions, he vows vengeance. Leaving the forest, he sets out to master his magical gifts, making a pilgrimage to the home of the wizard Hakuunsai. While Sasuke learns the ways of magic, the demon witch terrorizes the countryside, and Sasuke works to complete his training in time.
