The first and last reels of this very rare film are lost; a written synopsis of the missing reels is provided. Ozu's own father died during the making of the film, which opens with the death of a beloved father of two boys. Eight years later, the college student Sadao learns that he was actually the son of his father's first wife. Ozu explores the complexities of sibling relationships in this story about half-brothers. He also delves, early on, into what would be a favorite subject of the postwar films-the dissolution of the family and the importance of place (the family moves three times). Ozu's signature motif of set design-Western movie posters-here significantly includes the French film Poil de carotte, about the sadness of an unloved child.