Shuhei Hirayama (Ryû), an ageing widower, is cared for by his daughter Michiko (Iwashita). Convinced she's not ready for marriage, he scares away a potential suitor she's attracted to, but changes his mind after friends warn him that Michiko will wind up an old maid, trapped in the web of loneliness he knows only too well. Discovering that Michiko's preferred suitor is now engaged, he arranges an alternative bridegroom for her. In the late afternoon, following the wedding, Shuhei returns home to face life alone, resigned to the fact that Michiko's happiness comes before his own.