A dying pianist composes one final song for his childhood friend.

In April 1895, the talented young Rentaro Taki comes to Tokyo from his home in Kyushu to enrol in the prestigious National Academy of Music. Hoping to become a pianist, he meets another student there, Yuki Nakano, who shares the same aspirations. With his elder classmate Suzuki's encouragement, Rentaro practices furiously to perfect his technique, but loses his health in the process. Over the years, his health, as well as his devotion to and achievement level in music, fluctuates, as two friends adjust to the varying roles they can each potentially play in his life. Yuki receives the Japanese government's first music scholarship to study in Berlin. At the same time, Rentaro composes wonderful music and songs like Bloom in the Moonlight which are still very popular in today's Japan, while Suzuki quits the music school and becomes a hard labourer due to family crisis. Two years later, Rentaro obtained the same scholarship and went to Leipzig. He reunites with Yuki in Berlin and enlightens her in many ways on piano techniques and interpretations. Just when they realize that they are falling in love with each other, illness strikes Rentaro and they are forced to separate again. Rentaro dies in Japan when he is composing his last piano piece, dedicated to Yuki. Yuki later becomes an established pianist in Europe while Suzuki becomes a music teacher to teach school kids the songs written by Rentaro.—L.H. Wong <[email protected]>