The adopted daughter of a wholesaler of ready-made clothes, Takichiro Sada, notes that on the old maple growing near their house, two bushes of violets have blossomed - they grow in two small hollows on the trunk of the old maple and blossom every spring, as Tieko remembers himself. They seem to the girl like unhappy lovers who can not meet in any way. Chieko admires the flowers. Sinichi Mizuki, with whom Chieko has been friends since childhood, invited her to admire the blossoming cherries at the Heian Jingu Temple. Weeping cherries in the temple garden fill Tieko’s heart with holy awe, her lips whispering verses by themselves. From there, Chieko and Hsiniti go to the pond, cross the stones to the other side, where the pines grow, and approach the "bridge-palace", which offers a wonderful view of the vast garden beyond the pond. Then Chieko offers to go on foot to the Kiyomizu Temple to admire the evening Kyoto from its height, to watch the sunset over the Western Mountain.

There, Chieko unexpectedly tells Sinichi that she is a foundling. Stunned, Siniti does not immediately understand her: he thinks that the girl figuratively conveys her state of mind. After all, he knows that Tieko is the only beloved child. Chieko says that once, when she was already at school, mother and father admitted to her that she was not their own daughter, but out of pity they did not say that she was a foundling, but said that they had abducted her when she was a baby. But they did not agree in advance, so her father said that she was picked up under blooming cherries in Gion (a place in Kyoto adjacent to the temple of the same name), and her mother was on the banks of the Kamogawa River. Tieko knows nothing about her real parents, the adoptive parents are so kind to her that she did not even want to look for them. Xinyichi wonders: why did Chieko suddenly decide to tell him about this? She, of course, guesses that the young man is in love with her. Her words sounded as if she had previously rejected his love. Chieko obeys her parents in everything. When she wanted to go to university, her father told her that this would be a hindrance to his only heiress, and advised her to take a closer look at his trading business. When Sinichi asks Chieko what to do if it comes to marriage, the girl without the slightest hesitation replies that she will obey the will of her parents, but not at all because she does not have her own feelings and her own opinion. For Xinyichi, Chieko’s behavior is a mystery, but Chieko does not open his heart to him.

Tieko’s father, Takichiro Gardens, retires to the Saga (in northwest Kyoto) to a convent, where only the old abbess remains. There he rents a room and in solitude comes up with sketches for belts for a kimono. He dreamed all his life to be an artist. Tieko gave him the albums of Klee, Matisse, Chagall, and now Takichiro is considering them, hoping that this will stimulate his imagination, help him come up with a completely new pattern for the fabric. Chieko always wears kimonos made from sketches of Takichiro. His shop sells clothes designed for the average buyer, and the clerk gives in coloring only two or three kimonos made according to Takichiro's sketches - solely to maintain the prestige of the owner. However, Tieko's kimono is always willing to take it, and not out of duty, but because she likes her father's work. The Takichiro shop in the Nakagyo district was built in an old Kyoto style with Indian ocher painted grilles and windows with frequent binding on the second floor. Things are going worse every month in the shop.

Sada Takichiro comes to an old acquaintance - Otomo Sosuke, the owner of a weaving workshop in the Nishijin area (brocade "Nishijin" has long been famous in Japan). He brings in a sketch of a ki mono belt inspired by Klee’s work. Sosuke wants to entrust his eldest son, Hideo, to weave the belt for Chieko. Hideo weaves belts on a high takabata loom. His skill is known to both manufacturers and wholesalers. Hand weaving is gradually becoming a thing of the past, the younger generation prefers other activities, but all three Sosuke sons followed in the footsteps of their father and became weavers. Hideo is cold about Takichiro’s work, and the offended Takichiro slaps him in the face. Recollecting himself, he apologizes for his quick temper. Hideo humbly explains. He says that he himself likes the drawing very much, but it lacks harmony and warmth. Takichiro wants to pick up the sketch. Hideo says that the pattern is excellent, and when he weaves a belt, paints and colored threads will give it a different look. But Takichiro takes the drawing away and throws it into the river.

Takichiro invites his wife Shige and Chieko to go to Omuro to admire the flowers. From there they go to the botanical garden and meet Sosuke and Hideo there. Looking at the tulip field, Takichiro says that the western flowers are too bright, and he likes the bamboo grove. To the question about tulips, Hideo answers that they live, and though the time for their flowering is short, but in this fleeting moment - all the fullness of life. Hideo is not going to weave belts that will remain for granddaughters and great-granddaughters, he wants the girl to say: this is for me - and would love to wear them today, now that she is in the prime of her youth. Hideo compares Chieko with the beautiful statues of the Miroku Buddha in the Koryuji (in Kyoto) and Chuguji (in Nara) temples and claims that she is more beautiful than them. Takichiro is alarmed: is he in love with Chieko? What happens if Chieko marries him? After all, although Takichiro’s affairs have recently been shaken, he’s still a wholesaler from the Nakagyo quarter, can you compare his trading house and Otomo’s workshop, where there are only three looms and not a single hired weaver? But then Takichiro comes to the conclusion that it’s not at all necessary for Tieko to go to Otomo’s house, you can take Hideo to their family, because Sosuke has two more sons. Takichiro asks Shige what her opinion is about Hideo. He likes Takichiro, and the wholesaler is ready to take him into his family. But Shige believes that the first thing to do is to ask Chieko's opinion; although she is an obedient daughter, one cannot insist on such matters.

A friend invites Chieko to go to Takao to admire the maples. During the walk, the girls reach the village on the Northern Mountain, where cryptomeries grow. Local women chopped off branches on cryptomeria and polished their trunks. A friend draws attention that one of the village girls looks like Chieko like two drops of water. These words sink into Tieko’s soul. She often travels to a village on North Mountain, explaining this by the fact that very beautiful cryptomeries grow there. Chieko always thinks about the secret of his birth. In fact, she was thrown to the entrance to the Takichiro shop, and neither he nor his wife know who the real parents of the girl are.

Hideo brings a belt, which he wove according to the drawing of Takichiro. Takichiro is at a loss: after all, he threw the sketch into the river. But it turns out that Hideo remembered the drawing, and now he has brought a belt for Chieko. The girl really likes the belt: both drawing and work. She tries on him, he really suits her.

The feast of Gion is approaching. Chieko recalls how in childhood, when she and Hsiniti were seven or eight years old, he portrayed a novice at this festival and sat on the festive ark, and she followed him everywhere. Chieko goes for a walk. The statues of the gods were transferred from the Yasaka temple to the temporary site of the arks, she buys a candle and puts it before the deity. She notices a girl who is making a sevenfold prayer. Chieko seems like she already saw her somewhere. Chieko unaccountably also begins to make a sevenfold prayer. Seven times moving away from the statue of the deity and seven times approaching it, the girls finish the prayer at the same time and converge face to face in front of the statue of the deity. The girl says that she prayed to God to tell her where her sister was. Now she knows: here is her sister. God wanted them to meet here. Chieko recognizes the girl: this is the same girl from the village on the North Mountain!

The girl says that her parents died when she was quite a baby. She knows that she had a twin sister, but does not know what happened to her. The girl's name is Naeko, she lives in the village and invites Chieko to visit her. She calls her "young lady", feeling the difference in their position, and does not want to go to Chieko's house. At the bridge, the crowd pushes Tieko out, and she lags a little behind Naeko. At the very bridge, Naeko calls out Hideo: he mistook her for Tieko. He asks if the young lady really liked the belt that he wove. Naeko does not know how to behave and what to answer, but still she doesn’t ask Tieko for help: if Tieko wanted to meet with the young man, she would now go to them. Hideo asks permission to weave a belt according to his own drawing for the twentieth anniversary of the young lady. Naeko embarrassedly thanks him. She decides that Chieko did not fit because she did not want Hideo to know that they were twins.

On the fourth avenue bridge, Chieko meets Sinichi. He introduces her to his older brother Ryusuke. Chieko and Sinichi recall how Sinichi portrayed the novice on Gion. Xinyichi notices that Chieko is very excited. Believing that she is unwell, young people escort her home. Mother also notes that Chieko has an unhealthy appearance. The girl again looks at two bushes of violets that have blossomed on the trunk of an old maple - now it seems to her that it is she and Naeko. She goes to bed, but cannot sleep.

Hideo brings Chieko a kimono belt sketch for choice. On one of them is a pattern of flowers and chrysanthemum leaves, on the other - red maple leaves. But Chieko asks him to weave a belt with mountains covered with cryptomeria and red pines. She explains to Hideo that then, on the eve of the holiday of Gion, he mistaken and promised to weave a belt not to her, but to her sister. She tells Hideo about Naeko and asks him, when the belt is ready, to go to the village on North Mountain and hand it to Naeko. Chieko comes to Naeko and tells her about Hideo and that he is going to give her a belt. But Naeko does not want to accept a gift, because Hideo wanted to weave a belt not for her. Chieko insists: Ultimately, she asked the young man to weave a belt for her sister. Naeko promises to accept the gift. Returning home, Chieko tells her parents about Naeko. Parents are amazed, they also did not suspect that Chieko has a sister.

Takichiro wants to buy a small, cheap house. Shige wonders: either he wants to sell the shop and retire, or simply wants to live separately from the shop. Takichiro, Shige and Tieko set off to look at the camphor laurel, with which they have many memories. Having examined the house near Nanzenji Temple and admired the hagi flowers growing in front of him, all three go to the Tatsumura store, where, in addition to fabrics, they sell Sony's portable radios and other goods that can attract tourists.

Tatsumura is doing well, not like Takichiro, who does not want to break with tradition. In the lounge of the store, they meet Ryusuke. He invites Chieko to look at the striped carps in the pond. Young people go for a walk. Ryusuke advises Chieko to be stricter with the clerk and offers his help. He says that his father skillfully leads his grandfather, they have two reliable clerks, and if the clerk working with Takichiro leaves, they can send Takichiro one of his clerks to help. Ryusuke says that he is ready to drop out of graduate school at any time and enlist in the Takichiro shop to get things going. In addition, Ryusuke promises to ask his father to find a suitable home for Takichiro, who decided to retire.

Hideo weaves a belt commissioned by Chieko. The images of Tieko and Naeko merge in his eyes together. After completing the work, he goes to the village on the Northern Mountain and gives Naeko’s belt. She promises to keep him all his life, as the most precious treasure. "Why? I’m happy to weed you again, ”says Hideo. He invites the girl to the Festival of Eras, which is arranged in memory of the transfer in 794 of the capital to Kyoto. During the festival, Hideo looks at the green pines, at the procession, but out of the corner of his eye he watches Naeko.

Xinyichi calls Tieko and says that he saw her at the Epoch Festival with a young man. Chieko immediately realizes that he really did not see her, but Naeko, and realizes that Hideo was with her. Hsinichi hands the phone to Ryusuke, and he asks for permission to go to the Takichiro shop and get to know their clerk. Arriving at Takichiro's shop, Ryusuke talks with the clerk. Ryusuke's father is a large wholesaler with many powerful friends. Ryusuke himself, although engaged in science, is interested in his father's trading business. Ryusuke invites Chieko to have dinner with him and Hsinichi at the restaurant. After visiting the restaurant, Chieko admits that Xinichi confused her with her sister at the Feast of Ages. “We are twins with her ... But the two of us threw me,” says Tieko. Ryusuke regrets that the little one was not thrown to their house, he would gladly take up the education of little Chieko.

Naeko calls Chieko and says that she would like to see her. She still refuses to come to her house, so Chieko promises to come to her village. Parents tell Chieko that they are ready to adopt Naeko. Twenty years ago, the twins were treated with prejudice, considering their birth a bad omen, a sign that evil forces gravitate over the house, but now they look at it differently. Tieko is moved by the kindness of her parents. Naeko tells Chieko that Hideo made an offer to her, but she has not yet given an answer. Her pride restrains: Naeko seems that Hideo sees in her not her, but the image of Chieko. In addition, Father Hideo’s workshop deals with Takichiro’s shop, and Naeko’s appearance would not be very convenient for Chieko, and Naeko did not want to inconvenience her sister. In response, Chieko says her parents are ready to adopt Naeko. Naeko is moved to tears. Chieko asks her to come to their house at least once.

Returning home, Chieko recalls his conversation with Naeko. Naeko is sure that Hideo really wants to marry Tieko, but realizing that he is not a couple, she offered Naeko's hand.

Mizuki - the father of Ryusuke and Hsinichi - asks Takichiro to take Ryusuke to his shop. Mizuki understands that Ryusuke just wants to be closer to Chieko. He asks if Takichiro will accept Ryusuke into his family if Chieko ever turns his attention to him. In this case, Mizuki is even ready to abandon him as an heir, because happiness is not in wealth. Takichiro believes that young people themselves must decide their fate. Ryusuke gets to work right the next day. In the evening, after the shop closes, Naeko comes to Chieko. Chieko introduces her sister to her parents. The girls go upstairs to calmly talk. Chieko asks Naeko to stay in their house forever, but Naeko refuses. The girls talk for a long time, then fall asleep nearby. A light snow falls at night. Naeko leaves early in the morning. Chieko invites her to come again, but Naeko shakes her head. Chieko takes a long look at her sister's receding figure.