Five years into her marriage, Yukino has been struggling with her husband's impotence. Her days had become dull and uneventful, and her only joy was chatting with her neighbor, Yoshiko Yasui, the daughter-in-law of the Yasui family. One day, Yoshiko suddenly confided, "Actually, my son Akira is impotent," leaving Yukino shocked and bewildered. Yukino was deeply shaken to learn that even young men could suffer from impotence, though she later discovered the truth was that his condition was only temporary.