In Search of Mother

The main character is Chûtarô, who together with Hanji, is responsible for the murder of a gambler boss. They are both on the run and Hanji returns home to a chastening welcome from his disappointed mother and sister. They tell him to keep away from Chûtarô's bad influence. Chûtarô is touched by their protective love toward Hanji. Even though his mother is alive somewhere, he has been separated from her since he was five. His father died when Chûtarô was 12 and he has no other family. He has created in his mind an ideal image of the mother he misses, and is distressed to see the pain Hanji is causing his mother.