和贺英良（中居正广饰）是声名卓著的天才钢琴家，他拥有令所有人都为之欣羡的才华和地位以及财富，但他却也拥有绝对不想任何人触及的，不为人知的痛苦过去。英良其实原名“秀夫”，但这个名字早已被英良遗弃，然而有一天当英良钢琴表演完毕之后，却有个名叫三木谦一（赤井英和饰）的男人出现并且叫他“秀夫”，三木谦一是这世界上除了父亲之外，唯一知道英良过去的人，痛苦的英良选择了最愚蠢的方法，用极端残忍的方法杀死了三木，没想到却在回家的路上邂逅了一个名叫成濑麻美（松雪泰子 饰）女子。 三个小时之后，三木的遗体被发现。于是警方展开调查，并委派优秀的警部今西修一郎（渡边谦 饰）调查此事。随着剧情的推移，更由于杀人案的发生，成濑麻美和今西修一郎就这样不由自主地卷入了英良的生活。更由于修一郎不断的抽丝剥茧，案件逐渐水落石出，也让人感受到了英良的痛苦和阴影。 当最终警方发现那个把受害者遗体十只手指都弄断的残忍凶手就是英良，当英良终于被捕之后，英良坦诚了杀死三木的原因，一切都是因为仇恨，英良恨自己的父亲，所以也恨身为父亲儿子的自己，所以英良舍弃了自己的名字和过去。于是，英良杀死了三木。但最终，锒铛入狱的英良仍然握着父亲的手哭叫“父亲”出声。

Eiryo Waga is well-known musician who has begun a rapid climb to stardom, but he must keep his terrible past a secret. One day someone who knows all about his past confronts him, and Waga kills him in order to protect the fame he has obtained. Unfortunately, as Waga is leaving the scene, he runs into Asami, a budding stage actress. An investigation team is established led by two detectives, but they have difficulty making any headway. Meanwhile, by coincidence Waga bumps into Asami again. She also has her own dark past, and soon they fall in love. But Waga is already engaged to Ayaka whose father is responsible for his rapid ascent to the top of the music world. It looks like Waga’s ambitions are about to confront reality. Based on Seicho Matsumoto’s famous work that was released in 1960-61, this drama illustrates the life of a man burdened with a heavy fate in a contemporary setting.

1960年代に発表された松本清張の同名小説を現代風にアレンジ。主人公を中居正広演じる天才音楽家に置き換え、重い宿命を背負った男の悲しみを描く。新進気鋭のピアニスト・和賀（中居）は、自分の過去を知る男・三木（赤井英和）を撲殺。現場から立ち去ろうとした時、劇団員のあさみ（松雪康子）とぶつかってしまう。