Takashi Inoue

A tragedy strikes a young woman's life without warning or reason. She continues living while searching for meaning in a lonely world.

At 2:46 PM on March 11, 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant experiences a black out due to the aftermath of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The cooling system fails at the nuclear power plant and the temperature of the nuclear reactor rises. The worst case is coming. Scientists face an unexpected situation and government officials are confused by lack of information. Residents says goodbye to their hometown before evacuating.

The handymen in an obscure Hokkaido town shut out by the snow are the meddlesome owner Matsui Hideo, the thrice divorced Umemoto Soichi, and the young budding scriptwriter Takeyama Jun who has lost his way. Takeyama had left Tokyo in disgust after an argument with the director on the set over liberties taken with a scene that he had put all his feelings into. He intended to go to Furano where a leading scriptwriter, who dropped out of a drama series midway, lives. However, the bus service has been brought to a standstill by the snowstorm. Takeyama stopped by at a pub in order to fill his stomach. He found himself caught in a great misunderstanding, got drunk and lost both his wallet and mobile phone. Now he has no choice but to stay in this town.

After the accidental death of her husband and being deemed ineligible for welfare, Koharu struggles to care for her two children.

Denizens of Lux have come to call it "The City" and treat it as a sentient force. Three factions vie for control of the city: the Organo, a strictly professional conglomerate with ties to the criminal underworld in the prosthetics business; the Union, a fanatical populist group interfering with Organo's affairs; and Racan, a marauding group of Texhnolyzed youths.