Suzu Urano was born in the Eba area of Hiroshima City, the mild-natured oldest daughter of a family that processes seaweed for a living. She loves to draw and is often caught in a daze. One day, a man visits the Urano household and asks her family for her hand. Shusaku Hojo is a clerk at the court-martial in Kure City and says he has met Suzu before, but she has no recollection of it. Suzu has a hard time imagining herself as a wife, but before it all sinks in, her parents, Juro and Kiseno, accept the proposal and begin preparations. Suzu's grandmother Ito gives her a beautiful kimono to take with her to her new home.