Summaries

Synopsis

Set in 2005, 60 years after World War II had long ended. The film begins at a crematorium in Kobe, Japan, where a family is paying their respects to Hisako Sawano (Seita and Setsuko's aunt), who has just passed away at the age of 95. The funeral director comments how a person who lived through the Meiji, Taisho, Showa, and Heisei periods has finally been put to rest. After the funeral, Natsu (Seita's and Setsuko's cousin, now a fully grown adult), Hisako's eldest of four children who is now a grandmother herself, sorts through her mother's belongings with her teenage granddaughter, Keiko. Keiko unexpectedly finds the metal fruit-drop tin and asks why it is important. Natsu begins to tell her about the family's struggle to survive during the Second World War, and the emotional scars that it left, as well as the untold stories of her two cousins: Seita and Setsuko.

Just prior to Seita's death in September 1945, while looking for Seita, Hisako and Natsu learn that he is still alive, though with no sign of his little sister Setsuko and living near the central railway station in Kobe. Hisako and Natsu go to the station in hopes of finding Seita, but he is nowhere to be found. Natsu asks a janitor if he saw "a third-year middle-school student, Seita Yokokawa, from Kobe 1st Middle School", wearing a school cap and was with his little sister. This triggers another janitor's memory and he recalls that the previous night, the two of them while moving the bodies of other dead children, had found a dead boy matching Seita's description in a corner of the station. While carrying his corpse to be cremated, a metal fruit-drop tin fell from his clothes and thinking it rubbish, the janitor tossed it into a pile of garbage outside of the station.

Hisako locates the fruit tin; while Natsu looks on, she opens it and two small bits of white bone fall into her palm - Setsuko's. Hisako falls silent, while Natsu, who understands what happened to her cousins, blames her mother for causing their deaths and runs away, crying. After she leaves, Hisako notices two small, glowing fireflies under the tin. While watching them fly away, Hisako tearfully whispers a soft thanks, knowing she has been forgiven by Seita and Setsuko's spirits.

Flashing back to the 18th year of Showa - 1943. Seita's father, a Captain in the Imperial Navy, privately reveals to him that the war is going badly for Japan, telling him that he must now look after his mother and sister as he will soon be deployed, and that he is willing to die in the Emperor's service. Seita gives his father his assurance, and his father promises that Japan will win the war despite the current situation. Meanwhile, Seita's uncle, Genzo Sawano, a carpenter, has been drafted into the army shortly after his family has relocated to Kobe. Hisako and Natsu are worried, but try to be optimistic for Hana, Yuki, and Teizo. After the departure of both husbands, Hisako and Kyoko bump into each other. The families spend the day together and Hisako gives Setsuko a tin with candy fruits. Hisako and Kyoko agree to try to help each other out while both their husbands are away.

As time progresses, an ever-increasing number of people are forced to deal with bombing raids and worsening shortages of food. On the day of the Kobe city firebombings, Seita is burying food in his yard. Kyoko leaves to go to the bomb shelter first due to her heart condition as Seita and Setsuko soon follow. Both Seita and Setsuko are caught in the middle of the incendiary bombings but escape unharmed, though Setsuko loses one of her sandals. After the bombings, they go to a school where doctors are giving medical attention to those injured from the bombings. Hisako meets both of them outside and reveals that Kyoko was injured. Seita goes to see her while Hisako watches Setsuko. Inside, Seita finds his mother wrapped in bandages, as the doctor explains one of the bombs got into the shelter and went off. She succumbs to injuries and dies soon after.

Hisako takes Setsuko home with her while Seita stays for the evening. He is given an urn with his mother's ashes in it. He returns to Hisako's house where he says that he will now be responsible for taking care of Setsuko, even though Hisako thinks he should go to school and she will watch Setsuko. Seita writes to his father and tells him about the death of his mother and that he and Setsuko are staying with their aunt. He gives Setsuko their mother's jade ring, which Setsuko treasures and wears on a necklace.

As food rations are decreasing, Hisako starts to worry about how she will feed her children, nephew and niece. She sells her kimono for money and is chastised for taking in two other children and how they do not help in a time of war. As she is walking home, Hisako learns that her husband was killed in action in a banzai charge. As she and her children grieve over his death, Seita assures Hisako that she should feel happy since his death has meaning; Hisako does not take this lightly. At night, Teizo begins suffering from asthma. Setsuko starts crying over her mother and refuses to go to sleep. Hisako leaves to try to find a doctor.

The next day as they are eating, Seita and Setsuko are only served soup without rice; they continue to get served very little while Hisako's children get plenty. During another bombing, Seita and Setsuko take refuge in an abandoned bomb shelter. Seeing the explosion from a distance, it reminds them of a fireworks show they saw some years ago. Afterwards, Hisako speaks to Seita about leaving on his own during the bombing and how he should start to help by letting her sell his mother's jade ring for rice. Seita is hesitant at first but gives in despite his sister's vehement refusal, leaving Setusko furious at her brother for selling their mother's ring. That night, Hisako agrees to give them rice that night for dinner. However as time goes on, Hisako continues to feed Seita and Setsuko very little, even making them start to provide for their own water. Natsu chastises her mother for how she is treating them but Hisako ignores her. Having enough, Seita and Setsuko eventually leave and go to live in the bomb shelter on their own. While their cousins protest, Hisako remains silent.

While at the shelter, Seita entertains Setsuko by catching and releasing fireflies inside. The following morning when she buries them, Setsuko tells Seita that she knows their mother was killed. Seita assures Setsuko that Japan will win the war and their father will return to them.Hisako's brother-in-law, Yoshie, gives her some money and leaves her home. Seita and Setsuko begin to starve and Seita resorts to stealing food from a farmer which Natsu witnesses, much to her shock. When the farmer catches Seita and asks if she knows him, Natsu makes no comment and Seita leaves in shock with Setsuko. Setsuko becomes ill and when she is taken to the hospital, the doctor does very little to help and only tells him that she needs to eat some food as she is suffering from malnutrition.

During another bombing, Seita breaks into a shop and attempts to steal some food but is caught, beaten up by the store owner, and taken to the police. After the bombing, Hisako comes to get Seita and is warned that if he does it again, she will be held responsible. As they are walking, Seita tries to explain his actions but Hisako tells him that she cannot feed them properly. Seita in tears, tells her that she could never understand, and runs away in anger back to the shelter where he breaks down into tears and Setsuko comforts him.

The following morning, Setsuko is trying to eat marbles, thinking they are fruit drops. Seita decides to use the remaining money he has to buy her food. The emperor makes an announcement about the unconditional surrender of Japan, which Hisako and her children hear over the radio. Hana, Yuki, and Teizo are relieved the war is over while Natsu is shocked that they lost and Hisako simply goes to cook breakfast. Seita hears the news on the streets from a group of returning soldiers. He also learns that the imperial fleet was wiped out, meaning his father has died. Seita breaks down in grief, whereupon he is found by Yoshie. Yoshie tries to talk to Seita but he runs off. Yoshie later meets with Hisako and explains that he plans to return to Tokyo. He also reveals his encounter with Seita, which Natsu overhears.

Seita returns to the shop from earlier, where the owners initially throw him out but he begs them to sell him food and they agree after seeing he has money. Seita returns to the shelter to cook, but finds Setsuko barely alive and hurries to cook some food for her. However, while he does Setsuko dies much to his grief and devastation. Returning to the start of the adult Natsu's tale, Natsu and Hisako go to find Seita and Setsuko now that the war is over. They locate the bomb shelter and are shocked to see how Seita and Setsuko had been living, but do not find any sign of them. Natsu and Hisako continue searching for the siblings but are unsuccessful. At the same time in the past, Seita is shown taking Setsuko's body to the top of a hill, where he cremates her in a straw casket. During the cremation, fireflies arrive in the night. Seita takes some of his sister's bones and ashes, and places them in the fruit-drop tin. Afterwards, he goes to the railway station in Kobe and eventually dies of starvation.

Following this flashback, both Natsu and Hisako leave the station. Natsu goes to the bridge where her family previously saw the fireflies. As she feels guilty and unable to live with what happened to Seita and Setsuko. Hisako slaps her, warning Natsu that the real war has begun and dying means losing before embracing her daughter as she cries. Natsu narrates that her family moved back to Tokyo and a law was passed in Japan to protect orphans affected by war. Hisako never again mentioned the war until her death.

In the present day, Natsu and Keiko are on the same bridge she was on years ago. Natsu reflects on how the war changed everyone as she and Keiko discuss its impact on their family history. As Keiko watches on, Natsu takes out Setsuko's remains and throws them into the river. Two fireflies then fly away, symbolizing Seita and Setsuko, who are finally at peace.

After the closing scene while the movie's credits roll, images of children affected by military violence and occupation are shown. These images are interspersed with images of Seita and Setsuko. The modern-day images seem to be of Palestinian children, including one girl smiling as she displays a photo of Yasser Arafat. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)