Small-scale business, gold and silver

The protagonist, Sachi, was born in the cotton-producing region of Settsu (around present-day northern Osaka). She was raised by her father, a former samurai who despised merchants. After the sudden deaths of her brother and father, she was left with her mother and younger sister, Yui, and entered the Gofuku shop 'Isuzuya' in Osaka Tenma as a servant. Although Sachi was taught that 'trade is an evil path,' witnessing the business operations of Isuzuya captivated her with its intriguing nature. It was her younger brother Chizou and the shop manager Jihe who noticed Sachi's business acumen, along with her predecessor's concubine, Fuku. Isuzuya started as an old-fashioned peddler and established a store dealing in kimono in Osaka Tenma during the second generation. However, the couple of the third generation died young, and the fourth-generation successor, Tokubei, was indifferent to the business and lived a life of debauchery. In an effort to revive the failing shop, Tokubei was arranged to marry Kikue from a large shop in Senba, but his debauchery continued unabated, leading to a divorce within a few years. By then, it was inconceivable for the infamous fourth-generation Tokubei to find a new bride. In this situation, Jihe, the shop manager, decided to protect the shop by marrying Sachi, a woman from the staff, as his second wife. In a time when goods were not selling well, to survive the 'Warring States of Commerce,' Sachi wholeheartedly faced trade, pursuing 'the happiness of buying and the happiness of selling.'