Genres: Historical, Drama, War

In July 1945, as the war spirals into chaos, civilians are swept into the conflict despite promises of safety. Even those who joined settlement groups to avoid military conscription find themselves drafted, leaving behind women and children to fend for themselves. The Japanese army, in a desperate bid to regroup, quietly moves its defensive line south, fearing that news of the retreat could expose their strategy to the advancing Soviet Union. But the settlers are left in the dark.

On August 9, as the atomic bombs devastate Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Soviet forces invade Manchuria, forcing the settlers to flee. Toda Eiichi and his fellow soldiers engage in a desperate battle against the Soviets, while Mizuno Yukiko and her family—her mother, younger brother, and sister—rush to escape with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Along the way, Yukiko reunites with her student, Satake Saburo, now alone after losing his mother to bombings and his father to conscription. Together, they embark on a harrowing journey, only to be abandoned by the last train out of the region.

With no other option, the group sets out on foot, trekking nearly 600 km to Xinjing, the capital of Manchuria, a path fraught with danger. Attacked by bandits and pursued by Soviet forces, many settlers perish along the way. Even after the war officially ends for Japan on August 15, chaos reigns in Manchuria. Eiichi awakens amidst the ruins of battle, his left arm throbbing with pain, only to find himself utterly alone. As he struggles to reach the Kanto military headquarters in Xinjing, he is met with a harsh reality—Japan has already surrendered. Left wandering the hostile streets, Eiichi is beaten by locals before waking up in an abandoned elementary school in the heart of the Japanese concession.

What remains of the Japanese settlers who once dreamed of prosperity in Manchuria? With their hopes dashed and survival uncertain, the forgotten stories of these people—who fought to live in the aftermath of Japan's defeat—are unearthed from the shadows of history, their struggles and resilience finally brought to light.