The once-prominent Makioka family undergoes a decline over the years, partially as a result of the Allied Occupation during the '40s. But no matter what fortune has in store, the four sisters always gather in Kyoto, Japan, to view the cherry blossoms, the ritual marking the changes in their lives from year to year. Right now the major crisis for them is finding a husband for Yukiko, the third eldest, so that the youngest sibling, Taeko, can get married herself