Naotaro Moriyama

Due to her husband's work, Maiko (Mugi Kadowaki) moves with her husband to Tokyo from Hiroshima. They live in an apartment offered by her husband's company. Her husband is busy with work and comes home late every night. Maiko beings to talk with Futaba (Naotaro Moriyama), who lives next door to her. Futaba is her husband's boss. They talk with each other from their porches. One day, Maiko learns that her husband is having an affair. She becomes closer to Futaba.

An Kazutaka is a young, bashful psychiatrist whose jazz piano skills are as good as a pro. Right after they have their first child, the Great Hanshin Earthquake strikes. Although his family is affected by the disaster, he begins to search for what he can do as a psychiatrist. As he listens to the stories of disaster victims, he realises that he can help not by treating them, but restoring their capacity to heal. Later on, he compiles his observations of the disaster-hit area as a psychiatrist into a book, and wins a prize for social sciences.