Plot summary

Tokyo, 1960. Pushing thirty, widowed hostess Keiko, a respected mama-san at a bar nestled in the heart of modern, bustling Ginza district, is with her back to the wall. Confronted with ever-growing debt, resourceful Keiko struggles to keep up appearances in a money-oriented, male-dominated microcosm, searching for emotional and financial stability in all the wrong places. Now, against the backdrop of false promises, the cruelty of fleeting beauty, and unfulfilled aspirations, hard-pressed Keiko is at a crossroads, facing a pressing, ever-present dilemma and closed doors. And, somehow, marrying one of her many ambitious suitors is not going to cut it. Is Keiko doomed to ascend the stairs over and over again?—Nick Riganas