Ryuukou Kanbou

Shiga Naoya lives with his wife, Haruko, and their four-year-old daughter, Saeko. He is deeply concerned about Saeko’s health, often dressing her in heavy clothing even during the summer to prevent her from catching a cold. This behavior stems from the death of their previous child, who succumbed to an epidemic. In 1918, the Spanish flu reaches Japan, and as the number of infected people rises, Shiga begins to suspect that their servant, Ishi, may have attended a performance by a traveling entertainment troupe that attracted many villagers. Although Ishi denies attending, her behavior frequently causes Shiga to doubt her. He sees this as an opportunity to have her leave, which leads to a confrontation. Although Shiga ultimately decides against firing her, he feels like a tyrant and loses his sense of reason and faith in humanity amid the pandemic.