Ex-con Takeshi Yamada eludes his past by relocating to a quaint rural village in the Hokuriku region. There, he begins to work at a small factory which makes shiokara (salted fish paste). Through the efforts of his boss, Takeshi moves into a nearby, dilapidated apartment complex. One afternoon, Takeshi’s vociferously eccentric neighbor Kozo Shimada barges into Takesh’s unit and demands a bath in Takeshi’s personal lavatory. With the metaphorical ice broken, Takeshi eventually emerges from his shell and warms to a friendship with Kozo and the other residents.