Based on Akira Wakatsuki’s 1955 book about Fumiko Nakajo (1922–1954), her poetry, and their encounters before her death from breast cancer, Forever a Woman is an uncompromising account of a woman’s struggle for self-realization while facing a series of personal tragedies. Chronicling the end of Fumiko’s marriage, her frustrated desire for her mentor, and her battle with cancer, along with the successful publication of her poems, Tanaka depicts the poet’s progress from resigned submission to intellectual self-assurance, sexual fulfilment, and professional success as she edges ever closer to death.