Due to the economic downturn, her husband's company went bankrupt, and with no stable reemployment in sight, he was forced into a grueling routine of part-time jobs and job hunting. Noriko tried to help support the household by working part-time herself, but their income remained insufficient, their savings were depleted, and they fell about six months behind on rent. Pressured by their landlord to vacate the property, they found themselves backed into a corner—until one day, they became entangled in a new and devastating turn of events.