Researcher Mutsugoro takes his family to a remote and uninhabited island near Hokkaido, to study the local population of wild bears. Nearby poachers make his life difficult, and he "inherits" an orphaned bear cub, whom the family call Donbe and raise as one of their own.
The story began in the early summer of 1942 when 'Tatsurou' met 'Setsuko' at Karuizawa. Its love at first sight but sadly 'Setsuko' was pledged to marry a stranger by her parent. She ran away from her hometown and arrived at Tokyo in search of her love one. War erupted then and Tatsurou was summoned to service. As be set foot on a snow-capped mountain before his imminent departure, they promised to each other to press on until they meet again. But, soon she was fallen very ill to TB
While vacationing in the Izu peninsula, a high school student Kawashima becomes intrigued by Kaoru, a pretty young dancer in a troupe of travelling performers, and he tags along with them on their journeys.
Teenage cousins Masao and Tamiko fall in love when she comes to his riverside brewery house to take care of his sickly mother. Family objections ensue as Tamiko is older than Masao, and the two cannot marry in peace.