AllMovie

In the remote island of Honshu, far from the bright lights of Kyoto and Tokyo, the boys Yuzo and Chiyo are rivals in love, and are also rivals in their desire to become performers on the ancient Japanese instrument, the shamsien. Yuzo has had the luxury of lessons, Chiyo has had to learn in a more haphazard fashion. When Yuzo beats him in a musical competition, Chiyo apprentices himself to a blind master.