AllMovie

In 1954, Go Akuzu (Ken Takakura) travels to the Tsuruga Straits that separate Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido from the main island of Honshu, to investigate the tragic loss of a passenger ship in the treacherous waters of the straits. His solution to the marine dangers is to first advocate and then get a green light on building an underground tunnel to handle the inter-island traffic. His devotion to keeping the 25-year project on target leads to a separation from his wife, and a certain amount of loneliness -- until he helps Tae Makimura (Sayuri Yoshinaga) get a job at a local restaurant. His help was more than financial; Tae had accidentally caused the deaths of several people at an inn and was on the brink of suicide before Akuzu talked her out of it. Now that she is established in close proximity to his work, the two carry on a hopelessly platonic, romantic relationship that will last as long as Akuzu is supervising the tunnel's construction. The completed connection between the two islands will certainly affect the tenuous connection between the two protagonists, one way or another.