In summer, Nagisa and Natsuo meet by the sea. Their vacant gazes reflect each other as they exchange awkward words and wade into the rain-drenched ocean. In winter, Li, a screenwriter, travels to a snow-covered village. There, she finds a guesthouse run by Benzo.

When sophomore university student Nanamori meets Mugito, they decide to join a club. Intrigued by the Plushies Club, they soon realize it is not a place where people make plushies, but rather one where members are welcome to talk to stuffed animals about their feelings, or anything they might not want to discuss with other people. An introvert’s paradise. A safe space. An escape from society’s pressures and rules. For Nananori, it’s a natural fit: the club allows him to explore his uneasiness about dating and society’s imposed gender roles. But soon, an overwhelmed Mugito disappears, and the more pragmatic club member Shiraki begins voicing opposition to the group’s insular methods. Real life encroaches.

An art center located in Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Ume Nakazono, a freshman at university, participates in a workshop called “DNA Encyclopedia of Yamaguchi” as an intern. Participants walk around various places in the city where they live to find out what kind of plants grow there. Ume takes teenagers Take and Shun to explore nearby forests...