A wealthy old man, Utsugi has recently suffered a stroke which has paralyzed his right hand and significantly reduced his quality of life. He currently operates a large household with a number of live-in staff, including a round the clock nurse, his wife, son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. The son, Joukichi, is a successful executive currently having an affair with a cabaret dancer, leaving his extremely beautiful wife, Sachiko, herself also formerly a dancer, at a loose end. Though approaching the end of his life and possibly physically incapable of acting on his desire, Utsugi is consumed with lust for Sachiko and thinks of little else but how to convince her to allow him even the smallest of intimacies. Sachiko, for her part, is not particularly interested in pursuing a romantic entanglement with her aged father-in-law but is perfectly aware of her power over him which she uses to fulfill her material desires. Meanwhile, Utsugi's rather pathetic behavior has not gone unnoticed by the rest of the household who view his desperation with a mix of pity, exasperation, and outrage.