In a remote fishing village in Japan, two very different young people fall in love.

Shinji is a hard-working fisherman, Hatsue is the beautiful daughter of the wealthiest man in the village. She is also a diver for pearls and seaweed with the other women of the community. Shinji is entranced at the sight of Hatsue in the twilight on the beach and a relationship develops via secret notes and meetings. But when the villagers' gossip threatens to divide them permanently, Shinji must risk his life to prove his worth.