Consider the years 1946 to 1950 when Rikio Ishikawa was in difficulties with both his own family's Kawada clan and the family of Kozaburo Imai, the man who protected him from the Kawada's violent pranks. He can rely on Chieko, a young Tokyo courtesan, who provides him with a safe haven during these years. He's exiled to Osaka, where he develops a heroin addiction while there. He keeps his friends and foes on their toes with his erratic conduct, and he appears to be impenetrable.