Aiko dwells in a shrine that features a sliding door only half painted, a detail she remembered from childhood when she vowed to finish it. Yet now at seventeen, Aiko feels devoid of future aspirations. One day a mysterious stranger steps into her life. Her grandfather and the shrine"s chief priest invite him to remain, but Aiko rejects their offer. Gradually she notices the stranger"s gentle nature and begins to warm toward him. Who truly is this enigmatic visitor in the quiet courtyard, beneath the old cedar tree?
