When a Woman Ascends the Stairs

Widow Keiko (Hideko Takamine) is a well-liked and decently paid bar hostess, but greedy relatives and ill-advised affairs leave her lonely and facing debts. No longer a young woman, she searches for romantic and financial stability. Her heart lies with the married Nobuhiko (Masayuki Mori), but she entertains the idea of wedding kindly suitor Matsukichi (Daisuke Kato) to escape the tedium of her days and the bleak future that will await her if she ages out of her trade without marrying.