Makio Koudai has consistently lived life according to her own rules. Although she keeps a small circle of friends and maintains a steady career as a novelist, she is deeply introverted and indifferent to social conventions. Her relationship with her older sister, Minori, suffered because of this—Minori's constant criticism during their childhood created a lasting estrangement. At thirty-five, Makio's life is disrupted when Minori and her husband die suddenly in an accident. Following their deaths, Makio meets Asa Takumi for the first time, her fifteen-year-old niece who feels uncertain about her future. With no other relatives willing to care for Asa, Makio takes her in despite her hesitation about forming a bond with a stranger. Asa struggles to process the loss of her parents and the resulting loneliness, while reminders of her mother quietly shape the routines and interactions of aunt and niece. Through writing and the gradual unraveling of their assumptions about family, Makio and Asa learn to understand one another and themselves on their own terms.