U-chan, a nineteen-year-old student preparing to retake entrance exams, wants to save her mother, who is unwell and drinks herself into violent outbursts. Burdened by family ties and by being a woman, she leaves for Kumano carrying an urgent prayer.

To save her broken mother, U-chan sets out on a journey to Kumano.

A young man driven by the desire to become beautiful tries to change his appearance through makeup and feminine dress. In a voice that coolly examines how to present his body and receive the gaze of others, a longing for beauty intersects with violence and anxiety around sexuality.

From a desire to be beautiful, the novel reconsiders one's body and the gaze of others.