In 1940, Masaaki Takaoka serves as an instructor in the agricultural department at a youth training center. Despite the looming defeat of Japan, all of Masaaki’s pupils are conscripted in a desperate, final attempt. To instill a sense of hope, he asks them to pledge that they will reunite beneath the cherry blossoms once they return safely. Overcome with sorrow for his students’ destinies, Masaaki dedicates the following three decades to creating a new variety of cherry blossoms that can flourish in any environment, as a tribute to his students.