Inspector Imanishi Investigates

In the early hours of a 1960s Tokyo morning, a dead body is found under the rails of a train, and the victim's face is so badly damaged that police struggle to determine the identity. Only two clues emerge: an old man overheard speaking in a distinctive accent to a young man, and the word "kameda." Inspector Imanishi leaves his beloved bonsai and haiku to investigate, but he encounters a dead end. Months pass with fruitless questioning and following leads until the case is closed, unsolved.

However, Imanishi is dissatisfied, and a series of coincidences draw him back to the case. Why did a young woman scatter pieces of white paper out of the window of a train? Why did a bar girl leave for home right after Imanishi spoke to her? Why did an actor, on the verge of revealing something important to Imanishi, suddenly die of a heart attack? What connection could a group of young artists possibly have to the murder of a quiet and "saintly" former provincial policeman? Inspector Imanishi investigates.