The Ama-San have earned their status as collectors and guardians. What they do, calls into question not only the traditional role of women in oriental society, but also the very nature of femininity itself. This film follows the everyday lives of three women of different ages who, for 30 years, have dived together in the sea around a small fishing village on the Shima peninsular. Shot between the silent, underwater world and rural life on land, this film is a unique portrait of a tradition that is not expected to survive much longer.