A Distant Cry from Spring 1980

In the vast, sparsely populated expanse of Hokkaido, Japan, recently widowed Tamiko Kazami, [Chieko Baisho], struggles to maintain her small dairy farm while raising her young son Takeshi [Hidetaka Yoshioka] on her own. The relentless rhythms of farm life—milking, haying, feeding cows, repairing equipment—fill her days, and every hour is a test of endurance and quiet resolve.

One stormy night, as Tamiko and Takeshi shelter from thunder in their humble farmhouse, a lone stranger named Kōsaku Tajima, [Ken Takakura], knocks at the door seeking refuge. Wary but compassionate, Tamiko allows him to sleep in the barn; during the night, Tajima even helps with a cow’s calving. At dawn, he thanks them and quietly disappears.

Months later—likely the following spring—Tajima returns, this time requesting work in exchange for food and lodging. Although initially reticent, Tamiko accepts out of necessity. Tajima proves to be a diligent, self-sufficient worker who gradually becomes indispensable to both farm operations and household life. Takeshi [Hidetaka Yoshioka] forms a close bond with him, seeing in Tajima a caring and stabilizing father-figure. Their relationship grows not through overt romance but through shared labor, quiet companionship, and mutual healing, as two generations find balance in a fragile household.

Tamiko eventually suffers a slipped disc and must be hospitalized, leaving Tajima to manage the farm with the help of a teenage neighbor—further deepening his bond with Takeshi and proving his reliability. As feelings deepen, Tajima remains reclusive, sleeping in a separate shed and keeping his distance, a quiet tension that never fully breaks the everyday rhythm of life.

Tamiko is pursued by a man from a wealthier farm who appears to want her as a mistress rather than a wife. She rebuffs his advances, and when he returns with his brothers intending to threaten her, Tajima intervenes. His calm yet resolute defense diffuses the confrontation and even transforms the aggressors into allies, illustrating how protection and restraint can reshape distrust into cooperation.

Tajima’s past gradually comes to light: he has been on the run, having killed a man who threatened his wife, who then committed suicide because of it, and he has been fleeing the law for at least two years. This revelation strains the invisible thread binding the characters, testing their trust and the possibility of a peaceful future together. Tajima eventually decides to surrender himself to the authorities, acknowledging his responsibility.

On a train where Tajima prepares to leave for custody and prison, an emotional and restrained Tamiko finally voices her feelings for Tajima, telling him she will wait for him after the four-year prison term.