A seventy-year-old widowed man named Daikichi lives on a small island with his beloved pet cat. He is a local, a native, enjoys his home and spending time with that cat and old friends. His own son has done what many local youngsters have. The son has moved to Tokyo. However, change is eternal and friends are dying of old age, the environment is changing and old age creeps up and makes folk infirm. The old man has to contend with this change.