A large family scrapes by on the meager salaries of the father and three eldest sons, who left school in order to work and support the family. The fourth eldest is soon to graduate and follow in their footsteps, though he'd rather continue schooling. The eldest finally decides to break free and set out on his own against his parents' wishes, with the support and sympathy of his siblings.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
 Musei TokugawaIshimura | Ishimura |
 Noriko HonmaIshimura's wife | Ishimura's wife |
| AAkira UbukataKiichi, first son | Kiichi, first son |
| KKaoru ItōGenji, second son | Genji, second son |
| SSeikichi MinamiNoboru, third son | Noboru, third son |
| TTakeshi HirataEisaku, fourth son | Eisaku, fourth son |
| SSeiichiro BandoKokichi, fifth son | Kokichi, fifth son |
| KKiyoko WakabaHide, first daughter | Hide, first daughter |
 Den ObinataOgawa - the teacher | Ogawa - the teacher |
| SSumie TsubakiMitsuko | Mitsuko |
| JJun MakiKiichi's goroup leader | Kiichi's goroup leader |
| KKinji FujiwaIshimura's fellow worker | Ishimura's fellow worker |
 Susumu FujitaGenji's fellow worker | Genji's fellow worker |