Koizumi Akira, a son of a popular songstress, travels to a small-town cinema in far-off Kochi Prefecture to watch the closing movie before the theatre shuts its doors forever. The movie takes place in the same village but during the Showa 30s (1950s), in the years following the war.

The story follows a young soldier who washes ashore on the beach one day, having lost his memory. He is "adopted" by the family who owns the village cinema and given the name Shimanto Taro. Although his past remains a mystery, Taro becomes good friends with many of the villagers, discovering his love for movies and falling in love with a feisty young girl.