Haha to kuraseba

August 9th, 1948. Nobuko (Sayuri YOSHINAGA), a midwife in Nagasaki, is stunned when she is suddenly visited by her son Koji (Kazunari NINOMIYA), who she thought had died three years ago when an atomic bomb fell on the city. That same day, she had stood before his grave and told herself: “In that instant, he was gone. It's time to let him go.” Nobuko asks Koji, “Are you well?” He doubles over in a fit of laughter. “I'm dead. Of course I'm not well.” From that day on, Koji begins to appear before Nobuko from time to time. He was a medical student, and had a girlfriend called Machiko (Haru KUROKI) who he planned to marry. She is a kind-hearted girl who has kept a concerned eye on Nobuko over the three years since the sudden loss of Koji, which left her with a gaping hole in her heart. Nobuko tells Koji, “If Machiko falls in love again, you'll have to let go of her. After all, you're no longer of this world.” However, her words only strengthen Koji's resolve. “Machiko only has me.” He understands the situation, but is unable to accept it, which endears him to Nobuko even more. Their time together is special: strange, but delightful. It seemed as if their happiness would last forever... (Shochiku)