Following the Second World War, the lives of various people in a poverty-stricken area of Tokyo are entertwined. Pachinko parlor girls, shoeshine boys, a maker of costume jewelry, and a streetcorner artist all struggle to make their livings and to find happiness in difficult surroundings. ユキは街頭の似顔絵描き、正太郎、忠吉、大助の三人は同じく街の靴磨きと靴直しをしていた。

四人は同じ江東の貧しい裏町に住み、同じ銀座の並木通りにある宝山堂という宝石屋の前で店開きをして...