Based on the unique manga series "Zeni Geba" published nearly forty years ago, this is a story of a young man who, due to his unfortunate upbringings, becomes a "money crazy" criminal who only believes in money. Featuring the negative sides of the human race, this drama series makes the audience think about what the true meaning of happiness may be.

Futaro Gamagori (Kenichi Matsuyama) was born and raised in an extremely poor family. His alcoholic father Kenzo (Kippei Shiina) is unemployed, and not only does his violence leave a scar on Futaro's eye, but he disappears one day leaving his debts behind for his family to deal with. At age eleven however, Futaro (Ryusei Saito) believes that if you are honest and hard-working, your life will be a happy one no matter how poor you are, just as his mother Momoko (Kaoru Okunuki) had always told him. Then Momoko becomes ill and, unable to pay for decent medical care, she passes away.

Years pass by, and Futaro moves to a city far from home, to flee from an incident he might have caused in his childhood. He would now do anything for money, but keeps to himself, and struggles to find work by moving from factory to factory. In one of them he becomes acquainted with Terada (Tomorowo Taguchi). "Why is life worth living?" asks Terada, stuck with money problems of his own. Futaro mysteriously responds with an eerie grin.