Igi Datashi, who served as an Army operations staff officer during World War II, is taken to a Russian prisoner-of-war camp after Japan’s defeat. After nearly ten years of detention in Siberia, he returns home and, breaking two years of silence, takes a contract job at the large corporation Ginki Trading.  As Ginki Trading becomes locked in a fierce battle with its rival, Tokyo Trading, over the selection of Japan’s next-generation main fighter aircraft, company president Daimon draws Igi into the struggle in order to exploit the personal connections Igi had built with the Defense Agency and political circles during his time as an operations staff officer.

The film is based on a novel by Yamazaki Toyoko, the bestselling author of major Japanese social novels such as The Grand Family and The White Tower, and was adapted for the screen by socially conscious director Yamamoto Satsuo. The original novel was modeled on Sejima Ry？z？, one of Japan’s leading right-wing business figures. Set against the backdrop of the 1950s competition over the selection of a next-generation fighter aircraft, the story depicts the behind-the-scenes maneuvering and scheming of major corporations and political forces. It realistically portrays the ugly collusion between business and politics, as well as the process by which former military officers and corporate leaders-turned-politicians carefully craft their public images.