A middle-aged single man unexpectedly takes care of his infant niece Nazuna. The novel quietly follows his inexperience with childcare, the support around him, and the changes brought by a small life, delicately portraying fatherhood and everyday time.

Life with a baby gradually changes one man's sense of time and the way he sees the world.

This literary biography portrays Hakushu Kitahara's life and work against the backgrounds of city, countryside, and wartime Japan. It follows works such as Jashumon, Omoide, and Akai Tori while reading the poet's magnetism and contradictions.

Hakushu's poetry and children's songs are set back into the time of Meiji, Taisho, and Showa Japan.