Having lost their family business during a wartime fire, the once-prosperous Fukuhara family struggles to survive amid the chaos and devastation of postwar Japan. Devoted mother Masako Fukuhara (Kinuyo Tanaka) ; her husband, Ryosuke (Kyôko Kagawa) ; and their young children must all find menial jobs to make ends meet. Though living in poverty, the Fukuhara clan finds strength in each other as they work together, hoping to rebuild the happy life they once shared.