The musician Sawamura Setsu drifts aimlessly until he runs into trouble in Tokyo, where he's saved by Tachiki Yuna, a hostess club worker; events progress, and Setsu ends up unveiling his shimasen skills as the opening act for a live concert.

Setsu's unconventional mother, Sawamura Umeko, has suddenly descended and forced him to enroll at Umezono Academy.

Shuri is caught listening to music during class and has her cellphone confiscated; the song heard through her earphones is Setsu's grandfather, Matsugoro's, improvisation piece Shungyou.

Shuri wants her grandmother to be able to hear Shungyou: Spring Dawn again, but Setsu tells her it isn't something he's capable of playing and ends up denying her request to perform.

After being so deeply moved by Setsu's performance, Shuri decides to seriously pursue playing the shamisen.

As Setsu and Shuri attend a shimasen training camp, Shuri falls into a slump and Setsu hardly notices, as his own worries plague him; Oodawara tells them the history of Tsugaru shamisen, which gives Setsu the inspiration he needed.