O pisică, un bărbat și două femei

The whole story is built around the love of Shozo for his cat Lily. The first wife of Shozo, Shinako, was cast away from the house because she did not love the cat enough. The next wife, Fukuko, was wealthy and apparently she judged Shinako for her behaviour towards Lily.

Shinako acted very smart and asked for the cat after she left the house, appealing the jealousy of Fukuko. In fact, Shozo was a very weak man and he listened to his mother and his wife. Despite his weakness, Shozo managed to coddle Lily all the time and even to escape the supervision of the two women to visit Lily. Their relationship is almost erotic, Tanizaki is a master of subtle feelings between Shozo and Lily.

Lily just knows how to make herself loved, just like Shozo who acts like a child and triggers the mother instinct in women. But the feline also knows to adapt to new situation, while Shozo can't find his rest without his cat.