Set in the Nishiyoshino region of Nara Prefecture, Suzaku follows the plight of a family as their village suffers from depopulation and a depressed economy reliant on forestry. With the arrival of a new business project to construct a railway tunnel through the village, work becomes readily available. Kozo gets involved in the project, but the construction is suddenly and indefinitely suspended, leaving the tunnel to become a modern day ruin.

After 15 years, Kozo has lost his vitality for work and his family's livelihood becomes dependent on his nephew Eisuke. Kozo's daughter Michiru, who once thought of Eisuke as her brother, secretly falls in love with him, while Eisuke develops his own secret admiration for Kozo's wife Yasuyo. One day, Kozo goes out with his favorite 8mm camera but never comes home. His family, holding their share of sorrow, leaves the village to start new lives of their own...