20世纪50年代的日本某个宁静小镇，染色家相泽知子（满岛光 饰）和那位亦师亦友亦情人的作家小杉慎吾（小林薰 饰）相守度日。新年将至，知子却因风寒病倒。敦厚但踟蹰的小杉最终没有留下来守候她，行色匆匆赶回家陪伴妻女共度除夕。几许凄凉萦绕心头，一通电话似乎排遣了知子的寂寞。电话的那头，是当年曾让知子抛弃了丈夫、女儿而选择与之私奔的青年木下凉太（绫野刚 饰）。前缘未了，旧情继续。从此每当小杉返回自己家的时候，知子便沉湎于和凉太的厮守当中。这是一场危险的游戏，谁都不想输，谁都输不起。或者同归于尽，或者抽身而去…… 本片根据日本著名天台宗比丘尼濑户内濑户内寂听大师出家前（本名濑户内晴美）的同名自传体小说改编。

Nobuko tried to be successful as an actress in Tokyo (stage name ‘Nonko’), but wasn’t popular. She married her manager and soon divorced. Now a once-divorced woman in her mid-30s, she returns home to the Shinto shrine that her family runs, to help out with domestic chores. Her father is always in a stubborn rage, her mother is always trying to calm things down. However, Nonko’s married sister, who already has a daughter, scathingly says of Nonko, “It’s all over for her.”