When snow begins to fall, an ordinary salary man living in the big city recalls his childhood. A mystical experience occurred when he was growing up in a fishing village with his widowed mother. The discovery of a marble leads him to a strange world where he meets a little girl named Mari. The androgynous Mari clad, in peculiar fur clothes, slowly heals the boy’s loneliness with the spectacular world of fantasy she introduces. Influences from Japanese animation can be seen, but the soft tones and simplistic warm lines, graceful movements, the fairytale-like story that shifts between reality and fantasy without losing plausibility are some of the elements that set this animated film apart. The grand prize recipient at the 2002 Annecy International Animation Festival.