No Regrets for Our Youth

1933. Japanese militarists are using the incident in Manchuria as a reason to quash any dissent, anything not falling in line with the want for that military action deemed Communist. Liberally-minded Law Professor Yagihara of Kyoto Imperial University is relieved from his position in his anti-military views, he who is nonetheless largely supported by his fellow faculty and his students, especially in the goal of protection of academic freedom. His daughter, Yukie Yagihara, is friends with a group of seven of his male students, Noge and Itokawa in particular, they all who are trying to decide how best to support the Professor, which may include dropping out of university to continue to protest. The two men are different in temperament: Noge, a leftist firebrand, is willing to protest openly which has led to him being arrested time and again, while Itokawa, while still supporting the Professor, is more reserved and calculated in not wanting to upset the proverbial apple cart. Both men love Yukie, and she in turn loves both in different ways. As the years progress, the global situation changes, and the individuals evolve while exiting and reentering each others lives, Yukie has to decide what and who she wants in life, one path a stable but most-likely boring existence, the other an exciting but unpredictable one and thus with greater potential heartache, that unpredictability due in large part to Noge and Itokawa diverging further and further apart.