 The families celebrate Western ideals over Japanese ones with each family having spent significant time in Europe.Each Saegusa sister had once held aspirations of marrying into the Shigemitsu family but the only son, Noriyuki, died during the war.Fumiko spends her time taking care of Yoko, Natsue's youngest child, who doesn't fit in with the rest of her Saegusa and Shugemitsu members of her generation and who is kept close to home.