The outcome of a bullfight determines the fate of a small newspaper that struggles to compete with larger rivals, as well as the fate of the relationship between Tsugami, the 37-year-old married editor-in-chief of the paper, and Sakiko, his girlfriend. Tsugami's love for her is not a burning passion; it resembles a smoldering wick that never goes out. Tsugami himself is desperate about the coldness of his heart; the thrill of the bullfight is meant to stimulate him towards a final yes or a final no.