Ningen no jôken

In post-WWII Japan, Kaji marries Michiko and takes a job as labor chief at a mining operation in Manchuria, where Chinese prisoners are being held. He tries to improve labor conditions, but faces resistance from foremen, administrators, and the military police, who value profits over human rights. As Kaji's efforts to grant autonomy to the POWs are undermined, he is tortured and eventually drafted into the army.