On the anniversary of their matriarch's passing, the Shinjo family congregate in their ancestral village on remote Okinawan island of Aguni. In line with the ancient tradition practiced on the island, the family must carry out a senkotsu - or a bone washing ceremony - by exhuming the remains and ritualistically cleansing them. Returning home from mainland Japan is unwed daughter Yuko, who immediately sets local tongues wagging with her advanced pregnancy, while eldest son Tsuyoshi lashes out at their estranged father any opportunity he gets as he nurses his own wounds. The two are dismayed to find that their father Nobutsuna had been drowning his sorrows in alcohol. As the clan prepares to bid a last farewell to their wife and mother, they might just find that the journey forces them to face several other unresolved issues.