The 23-year-old Sanshiro arrives in Tokyo around 1900 to study, where he encounters a world that is foreign to him: hectic, casual, and exciting all at once. Raised in a stable and tradition-conscious family, Sanshiro comes into contact with revolutionary ideas that fascinate him and turn his worldview upside down – along with women. However, alongside modern individualism and his newly gained freedom, Sanshiro experiences loneliness for the first time in his life and learns what it means to be on his own.