work and that Kameda can rent a room from Kayama, a man who is to marry Taeko in exchange for Y600,000. Kameda's father had left Kameda a large ranch, which Ono had sold through Kayama. Kameda is unaware of his inheritance, which Ono's daughter, Ayako, later teases him about. Tohata, in an attempt to sever his ties with Taeko and avoid public disgrace for his long-term abusive treatment of her, which has twisted her psyche and made her a social pariah, offers a dowry of Y600,000 to Kayama if he will marry Taeko, a deal which was brokered by Mr. Ono. Kayama secretly loves Ono's daughter Ayako. When Akama finds out about the dowry offer, he offers Kayama Y1,000,000 not to marry her in a threatening confrontation. Kameda and Taeko meet, and he is immediately drawn to and wants to help her with the sadness he sees in her, while she is drawn to the kindness she sees in him, which gives her the strength to run away from all of these men treating her like chattel. Kameda and Akama both follow Taeko, while Kayama, who is really attracted to Ono's daughter Ayako, does not. Kameda tells Akama he should not marry Taeko as it would mean the ruin for both Taeko and Akama. Akama tells Kameda she really loves Kameda and Akama gives her to him. Part Two: Love and Loathing Taeko seems to love Kameda, but she thinks it would ruin his life to marry someone with her reputation, so she considers marrying Akama and writes to Ayako encouraging her to marry Kameda, since he is known to have written her a complimentary letter. Kameda proposes to Ayako. Ayako vacillates violently between expressing love and hate for Kameda and cannot understand what Taeko's true motives are, since they have never met. Ayako arranges for them to talk at Akama's house, and Taeko realizes that she has been putting Ayako on a pedestal and is no less worthy of Kameda's love than Ayako is. Ayako leaves, Kameda follows her to make sure she gets home safely, and Taeko faints, thinking Kameda has chosen Ayako over her. When Kameda returns to Akama's house, he discovers that Akama, who is insanely jealous of the feelings he knows Taeko has for Kameda and not for him, but has been unable to make himself dislike Kameda when they see each other in person,