[citation needed] A young girl named Ine from a poor village family wants nothing more than to own a horse.

Financial troubles push the family towards the edge of ruin and neither they nor the horse have much to eat.

Ine walks many miles through the snow to a hot spring where grass grows year-round and saves the horse's life.

Ine takes a job in a mill to save money to buy her horse back.

[3] Kurosawa wrote in his autobiography that he, in addition to his position as first assistant and second unit director, co-scripted and edited the film.