From 1928 to 1946, the lives of 12 young people and their school teacher in a poor Japanese village are profoundly affected by historical events and personal circumstances.

• Shochiku
• Hideko Takamine
• Hideki Gôko
• Itsuo Watanabe
• Makoto Miyagawa
• Takeo Terashita
• Kunio Satô
• Chishū Ryū
• Yumeji Tsukioka