The torso of a headless, limbless body is found half-buried by a riverbank. It belonged to middle-aged mother Yaeko Miyagawa, and after an investigation and trial, her daughter Hikari eventually confesses to her murder. For many years, Hikari had been subjected to physical and emotional abuse by her mother, revolving around her failure to make it into a top medical school and become a doctor. Even after nine years of futile applications and entrance exams, Yaeko refused to free her daughter from this virtual prison. What led to the fatal stabbing that ended Yaeko's life?