In the Edo period of Japan, a samurai’s life belonged to his lord. On the battlefield or in the home, a loyal samurai must always obey his lord’s commands. This is the tragic story of one such loyal samurai, whose love for his family forced him to make the ultimate choice of disobeying the wishes of his lord.

A middle-aged salaryman with a typical family, living quietly in a provincial city (Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture), wakes up one morning in the summer of 1994 to find himself the prime suspect in the biggest mass-murder case of the decade.

Mishima reset the story in a 1950s urban park. At the beginning of the story, five couples are sitting on the benches and embracing. A 99-year-old lady appears in the park to gather cigarette butts. A poet sees her and admonishes her for disturbing the lovers and for using a park bench that rightfully belongs to those in love. They debate life and love. The old lady confesses that when young she was a beautiful woman and was admired by Captain Fukakusa. Upon describing a dance she attended, she and the poet find themselves at the dance, many years earlier, in Rokumei Hall, a ballroom where many handsome men and beautiful women are dancing. Everyone in the ballroom recognizes the old woman as the beautiful Komachi and comment on her beauty.

"Saigo no Yakusoku" is described as a human suspense story involving the hijack of a major building. The members of Arashi play five young men who happen to be inside, and the story depicts their attempt to escape and their interactions with the other people caught up in the incident.

At the end of WWII, Japanese doctor Akagi searches for the cure for hepatitis in the prisoner-of-war camp.

O-Shin is a young brothel worker who, one night, helps a young samurai escape from his pursuers. Against the warnings of her fellow workers, particularly Kikuno and the brothel's owner, O-Shin falls in love with the samurai.

Mikami, an ex-yakuza of middle age with most of his life in prison, gets released after serving 13 years of sentence for murder. Hoping to find his long lost mother, from whom he was separated as a child, he applies for a TV show and meets a young TV director Tsunoda. Meanwhile, he struggles to get a proper job and fit into society. His impulsive, adamant nature and ingrained beliefs cause friction in his relationship with Tsunoda and those who want to help him.