Masahiko Honda, secretary to politician Hideo Chiyono, is charged with tracking down Hideo’s daughter Aya after she vanishes before the family’s relocation to Tokyo. He traces her to the derelict Satomi coal mine, where Aya and her friends shelter with Malet, a child lacking legal status. Upon pinpointing their hideout, Honda orchestrates a raid with immigration authorities, only for the group to repel the intrusion and broadcast edited footage of the clashes online.

To fracture their solidarity, Honda anonymously disseminates incriminating photos exposing the youths’ hidden vulnerabilities—sparing Aya—to seed distrust. Though the ploy triggers temporary discord, the group regains cohesion. Investigating the mine’s infrastructure, Honda uncovers a sealed secondary entrance buried under collapse debris. Surveillance of elevator movements confirms the children’s use of subterranean tunnels, prompting renewed efforts to infiltrate.

After the fugitives escape via an improvised airship, Honda refuses Hideo’s order to chase them, resulting in his dismissal. Defiant, he hurls dirt at his former employer, renouncing both his job and the façade of allegiance to Hideo. The gesture severs his ties to the conflict, ending his tenure as the politician’s compliant subordinate.