Since the death of his wife seven years ago, documentary filmmaker Aoyama hasn't had a single date. Even his 15-year-old son Shige is pushing for him to remarry, prompting Aoyama to make that decision. To find the right woman in the shortest time possible, the successful businessman opts for a systematic search. His best friend Yoshikawa devises the perfect plan: under the guise of a film casting, Aoyama is to find his future bride. Thousands of women apply, but from the very beginning, it is the beautiful ballet dancer Yamasaki Asami who captures Aoyama's heart. Enchanted and blinded by her fragility and shy smile, he ignores his growing feeling that something is off with Asami. What begins as a tender love story evolves into a suffocating nightmare. With "The Casting," Ryu Murakami created a haunting work.