This collection of stories is set in an institution for children with disabilities and portrays the conflicts faced by those around a child with profound disabilities. Through questions about the value of life and euthanasia, the title story examines relationships between those who give care and those who receive it.

Faced with the weight of life itself, the doubts and questions of those connected to the institution intersect.

"ついの栖" is a prize-winning work first presented in this award context.

Tracing the work's publication history through "ついの栖".