Following the Second World War, the lives of various people in a poverty-stricken area of Tokyo are entertwined. Pachinko parlor girls, shoeshine boys, a maker of costume jewelry, and a streetcorner artist all struggle to make their livings and to find happiness in difficult surroundings.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
 Setsuko HaraYuki | Yuki |
 Toshirō MifuneKurokawa | Kurokawa |
 Yōko SugiHarumi | Harumi |
 Hisaya MorishigeAkazawa | Akazawa |
 Murasaki FujimaKonatsu | Konatsu |
 Hiroshi KoizumiShôtarô | Shôtarô |
 Nijiko KiyokawaTsuruko | Tsuruko |
 Kazuo MasubuchiChûkichi | Chûkichi |
 Chōko IidaMatsuyo | Matsuyo |
 Reikichi KawamuraYamamoto | Yamamoto |
 Hisao ToakeJewelry shop proprietor | Jewelry shop proprietor |
 Sadako SawamuraJewelry shop proprietress | Jewelry shop proprietress |
 Kamatari FujiwaraAoyama | Aoyama |
 Kan YanagiyaDoctor | Doctor |
 Keiju KobayashiNot listed | Not listed |
 Daisuke InoueDai | Dai |
 Fumiko OkamuraNot listed | Not listed |
 Shōichi HiroseNot listed | Not listed |
 Yutaka NakayamaNot listed | Not listed |
 Fuyuki MurakamiNot listed | Not listed |
 Yoshio KosugiNot listed | Not listed |
 Sachio SakaiNot listed | Not listed |
 Keiichirō KatsumotoNot listed | Not listed |
 Ren YamamotoNot listed | Not listed |
 Shigeo KatōNot listed | Not listed |
 Keiji SakakidaNot listed | Not listed |
 Teruko MitaNot listed | Not listed |
| SSuzuko TakayamaNot listed | Not listed |
| HHaruna KaburagiNot listed | Not listed |