Self-styled pessimist Tamahiko Shima lives alone in the mountains of Chiba after losing the use of his right hand in the same car accident that took his mothers life. Deemed incapable by his father and other wealthy relatives, he has been forced into exile; he experiences idle days of reading and sleepless nights of irrepressible angst. True to the Shimas famous pride and determined not to disgrace his family, Tamahiko is resigned to his new duty—stay in the mountains and wait for death to put an end to his suffering.