二战之后,日本街头呈破败景象。家庭主妇大和田和子(田中绢代 饰)一面等候参军的丈夫,一面苦苦维持家中的生活。然厄运如影随形,和子得到丈夫伤重身亡的噩耗,为了救治身患肺结核的幼子,她不惜出卖肉体,但不久儿子也病重死去。 在此之后,和子与其所在公司的社长栗山(藤井贡 饰)相恋。栗山私下进行违法勾当,同时与和子的妹妹夏子(高杉早苗 饰)私通。得知一切的和子辞去工作,彻底沦为站街女。令她无法相信的是,丈夫的妹妹久美子(角田富江 饰)亦被骗堕落风尘,而夏子也没能找到期盼已久的幸福…… 根据板荣二郎的小说《女性祭》改编。In the post-war Japan, Fusako Owada lives in the home of her mother-in-law with her baby that is ill while waits for the return of her husband from the war. When she learns that her husband has died and her baby also dies, she moves to another city with her neighbor Kumiko Owada to work as secretary executive for the opium dealer Kenzô Kuriyama. One day, she stumbles upon her missed sister Natsuko Kimijima that has returned from the Korea on the street and she learns that Natsuko works as a dancer in a night-club. Natsuko moves to Fusako and Kumiko's apartment and soon she has a love affair with Fusako's boss. However Fusako is secretly Kuriyama's mistress and upset, she vanishes. One day, a client of Natsuko in the night-club tells to her that he saw Fusako in the Red Light District. Natsuko that is pregnant decides to seek her sister out in the prostitution area. Will she find Fusako?