Yūji Makita, a guitar player and singer played by Masao Wakahara, comes to a portside onsen (spa resort) town. Thirteen years prior, he had had a love affair there with Sanae Shimura (played by Kuniko Miyake) which ended poorly; Sanae has since moved to Tokyo, leaving behind her daughter Emiko (played by Hibari Misora) and father Taishaku (Ryūji Kita).
A girl (Margaret O'Brien) visits her dad in Japan, and she makes friends with an orphan from the war. She then tries to raise money to make an orphanage.