Ainosuke is a gay young man living in a fog of depression and regret, working a dead-end job at a love hotel after being rejected by his father and bullied by his peers for his sexuality. He harbors a deep admiration for Karen Asahina, a popular idol he considers the embodiment of everything he wishes he could be: cute, confident, and lovable. One night, his path crosses with Karen in a moment of crisis. She is on the run from an exploitative television producer who attempted to coerce her. After Ainosuke helps her hide, she uses an insurance card he accidentally dropped to find his apartment. She makes him an unusual offer: in exchange for letting her stay with him for three days to hide from her management, she will teach him how to properly apply makeup, turning a traumatic memory of his father’s condemnation into an act of self-acceptance.

A fragile bond forms between them, but the situation escalates violently. Realizing that Karen is in danger of suffering abuse from her own father, Ainosuke rushes to her home. What follows is a critical, violent incident that leaves Karen’s father dead, forcing the pair to become fugitives. The story becomes a tense flight from the police, who are investigating the murder. Complicating matters, Ainosuke’s own father is a police detective who is eventually removed from the case due to his personal connection, but he continues his own search for his son, seeking the truth about what happened.

The narrative is set against the contrasting backdrops of Japan’s rigid, judgmental society and the glossy but dark underbelly of the entertainment industry. The main narrative arc follows the duo’s literal and emotional escape. As they travel and hide, they help each other confront their pasts. For Karen, this involves a journey to the island of Enoshima to reclaim lost childhood memories of a loving family before her father changed. For Ainosuke, the flight forces a critical, emotional confrontation with his own father, leading to a painful but necessary conversation about acceptance, regret, and unconditional love. While the police search closes in, the story ultimately focuses on how two broken individuals provide mutual support, healing from exploitation and familial rejection, and finding a new sense of identity and hope.