Dai Miyamoto, a student from Sendai, receives a saxophone as a gift from his brother, Masayuki. He starts practicing immediately.
Tsutomu is a writer who lives in a secluded mountain cabin in Nagano. He shares the space with his dog and the unburied ashes of his wife Yaeko, who passed away thirteen years ago, and spends his time harvesting vegetables, then cooking with them using a method he learned as a young Buddhist monk. Though largely solitary, he receives occasional company from his editor and romantic interest Machiko, and from his rather eccentric mother-in-law, Chie.
When Tsutomu one day finds Chie dead in her home, he is forced to finally consider his feelings on death. He works to arrange Chie's funeral proceedings, and once the funeral has concluded, invites Machiko to live with him, an offer to which she gives serious thought.
Ice Cream Fever tells a story of four women, whose ages range from their teens to thirties, and their lives intersect by an ice cream shop. Natsumi Tsuneta is in her late 20's and has given up on her dream. She works part time at an ice cream shop. Saho Hashimoto is in her early 20's. She is too timid to take a step forward in her life. She is a writer and a regular customer at the ice cream shopTakako Kuwashima is in her late teens and she doesn't even know what love is yet. She works part time at the ice cream shop with Natsumi Tsuneta. Yuu Takashima is in her late 30's. She carries pain in her mind and she feels worthy of life when she works. Yuu Takashima goes to a public bathhouse, located near the near ice cream shop.
In the black market, a war orphan is confronted with the struggles of people living in the immediate aftermath of WWII.
A promising pianist, Ritsuki, develops unexplained hand tremors, forcing him to abandon his musical career. Naturally devastated and lost, he seeks a new path in life. After some attempts at job hunting, Ritsuki gets a job - a clearing service for hoarder houses. With the help of a quirky boss and dedicated colleagues, Ritsuki's cleaning career begins seemingly without faults, except that he not only confronts mountains of clutter but also unravels dark secrets behind the clients he encounters.