From the point-of-view of the children, "Mother" tells the story of the most unappreciated, loving and giving mother, who would sacrifice her own life, and sometimes the life of others, for her loved ones. In the autumn of 1955, a family of five children is living in the Tohoku area. In order to take care of her paralysed husband, the mother has to sacrifice her five children by giving them away. The children has to suffer all the loneliness and hardships that this decision has brought them. 15 years have passed, all five of them have got married. Now, they come to understand that their mother's love for them was the greatest love of all.

В семье случилась трагедия, мать не имеет возможности заботится о детях, она собирает их вместе и объявляет, что больше не может быть им матерью. Теперь они должны расти без неё, сами по себе.