Saburo is an adolescent coming of age in 1950s Japan. Although he grows up in a well-to-do family, Saburo observes the losses incurred by his family members amidst the changing landscape of his hometown. As much as Saburo’s family and nation try to forget the past, move on, and rebuild the country, he cannot let go of his memories. Six years old at the moment of Japan’s surrender during World War II, Saburo remembers the death of his uncle, who succumbed to hepatitis shortly after returning from service in Micronesia. In high school, Saburo joins the track and field team. His father, an astronomy professor, encourages Saburo to better himself and focus on self-improvement. During Saburo’s college years, his hometown urbanizes. The town becomes a model for Japanese postwar progress as it brings in increased vehicle traffic and commerce. However, as a result, Saburo’s mother dies suddenly after a motorcyclist collides with her. Saburo’s father grieves silently, and his health deteriorates. Saburo’s father loses an eye to glaucoma, while his remaining eye continues to grow dim. When Saburo turns thirty, he holds a respected position at a civil engineering firm, building Japan’s expansive public infrastructure. Saburo’s father’s sight continues to worsen, to the point that he contemplates suicide. Saburo commits to seeing his lonely and stoic father once a week to take care of him and keep him company. A year later, Saburo’s father is diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. With his father on his deathbed, Saburo questions the self-sufficiency that he had always assumed his father to have. Grieving his father’s pending death, Saburo is flooded with the familiar anguish he used to feel at the end of his high school track races.