本片改编自川端康成著名小说《伊豆的舞女》。 即将就读东京某高等学校的川岛（三浦友和）趁开学前的暑假前往伊豆旅行，在乍晴乍雨的山道上，他遇到一群巡回卖艺的歌舞伎艺人，因被其中一个梳着古代发髻、背着大鼓的娇小玲珑舞娘吸引，他决定与他们一起上路，路上，他得知该舞娘叫熏（山口百惠）。川岛不计歌舞伎艺人地位卑微，常邀请他们到他住的旅馆玩耍，而在和熏有过单独相处后，他更被其纯洁无瑕的美震撼，陷入矛盾中，一面为自己难以抑制的冲动而苦恼，一面为她在表演时可能受到侮辱惴惴不安。熏在两人的交往中，也渐渐生出真情。可是两人也只能是彼此生命中的过客。

This sensuously beautiful film chronicles the activities of four sisters who gather in Kyoto every year to view the cherry blossoms. It paints a vivid portrait of the pre-war lifestyle of the wealthy Makioka family from Osaka, and draws a parallel between their activities and the seasonal variations in Japan.

The quiet life of a mother and her young son living on a farm in Hokkaido is changed by the arrival of a man who ignites flames of romance in the heart of the mother and shows her boy the importance of grit and kindness, but then he leaves with the autumn wind.