When a Woman Ascends the Stairs

Keiko (called "Mama" by the other characters), a young widow approaching 30, is a hostess at a bar in Ginza. Realizing she is getting older, she decides to open her own bar rather than remarrying and dishonoring her late husband to whose memory she is still devoted. A former employee, Yuri, has opened up a bar of her own nearby, taking away most of Keiko's former customers.