Kenzō, a man in his mid-thirties, finds himself adrift in the currents of a life he never quite chose, having recently returned from his studies in England to teach English literature at Tokyo Imperial University. His days are a relentless cycle of academic pursuits and late-night writing, efforts to shore up the family's precarious finances. Yet, beneath this veneer of intellectual endeavor, a profound weariness settles upon him. He is an emotionally detached and often egocentric man, prone to melancholy reflections that cast a long shadow over his present.
His domestic life is a battlefield of silent resentments and open arguments with his wife, Osumi, who is pregnant with their third child. Their marriage is a constant tug-of-war, a testament to mutual exasperation and wounded pride. She perceives him as obstinate and socially awkward, while he, in turn, finds her intellectually beneath him. This chasm of misunderstanding deepens with each passing day, leaving both feeling isolated within their shared home.
The quiet struggle within his household is suddenly amplified by the reappearance of his former adoptive father, Shimada. This figure, whom Kenzō had hoped was a ghost of a distant past, now materializes with persistent demands for financial support, stirring up a maelstrom of painful childhood memories. Kenzō recalls a loveless upbringing in Shimada's possessive home, a period of his life he had tried desperately to leave behind. Despite his reluctance and Osumi's disparaging comments, Kenzō finds himself repeatedly yielding to Shimada's pleas.
This unwelcome intrusion is but one thread in a tangled web of familial obligations. Kenzō, who holds neither his biological siblings in high regard, nonetheless provides a monthly income to his sickly half-sister, Onatsu, whose husband is rumored to squander his earnings. His older brother, Chōtarō, also seeks loans, and even Osumi's father, a former high-ranking official fallen on hard times after failed investments, turns to Kenzō for assistance. He feels suffocated by these demands, his efforts to carve out an independent existence constantly undermined by the expectations of his extended family.
As the financial burdens mount, Kenzō's internal conflict intensifies. He grapples with the clash between his Western-influenced ideals of individual freedom and the deeply ingrained Japanese traditions of familial duty and obligation. He yearns to shed the "smell of the alien land" he left behind, yet simultaneously resents the limitations he perceives in Japanese tradition. His academic work, once a source of pride, now feels like another constraint, leaving him little time for his own monumental writing project.
The novel delves deep into Kenzō's consciousness, tracing his melancholy reflections on a past marked by being an unwanted child, given up for adoption, and later returned to parents who viewed him as a burden. He struggles with a sense of futility, caught between the desire for self-fulfillment and the relentless pull of his dysfunctional family. The narrative captures his journey through these haunting memories and premonitions of an uncertain future, where he feels increasingly hemmed in and unable to control the circumstances of his life.
The domestic discord with Osumi, though sometimes overshadowed by the more pressing demands of Shimada, remains a persistent ache. Their inability to truly understand each other, their mutual accusations of insensitivity, and their stubborn pride create a cold war within their home. Each silently waits for the other to concede, to offer a gesture of understanding, but none ever truly comes.
In a final, weary agreement, Kenzō manages to arrange a settlement for Shimada, hoping to sever the lingering tie to his painful past. Yet, even this resolution offers little solace. The narrative concludes without a grand triumph or a clear path to happiness. Kenzō's struggles, his self-absorption, and his profound sense of alienation persist. The novel leaves him to grapple with the enduring difficulties of human relationships and the unyielding weight of his own existence, a poignant testament to the unresolved complexities of life.
