 The isolated village of Tohoku is surrounded by high mountains, and has a tradition that only the eldest sons may marry and inherit. The filthy, unshaven younger sons, called yakkos, work the land and never have sex. To redress an ancestor s crime, the widow Oei has to take each yakko for a night. However she refuses to take Risuke, who has particularly vile breath. So Risuke s eldest brother Tasuke tells his wife Asa to take Risuke for a night, while an old blabbermouth suggests another alternative to Risuke.