Makio Koudai, a thirty‑five‑year‑old writer, had never been close to her older sister Minori, who constantly criticized her for being unlike everyone else. Because of that history, Makio did not feel a wave of sorrow when she learned Minori and her husband perished in a car crash. Yet when she was called upon to identify the victims, she encountered her fifteen‑year‑old niece Asa Takumi, whom she had not seen for years.
Trying to make sense of her parents" loss, Makio comforted Asa by acknowledging that such mixed emotions were natural and encouraged the girl to keep a diary as a means of healing. Discovering that no other kin was willing to adopt Asa, Makio chose to become her guardian even though she had little experience. In a world fraught with uncertainty, the novelist and the teenager must learn to coexist while discovering themselves.
