In the years preceding WWII, the world around China-born Hisato Furuya is in upheaval. His initial life, isolated and sheltered, quickly changes when he is forced by his parents to move from China to Japan. Once there, he must quickly conform to the competitive and fanatical environment, a process that makes him begin to lose himself in a downward spiral. Soon rendered emotionally confused and disheartened, Hisato changes for the worse. Joining the Japanese Imperial Army following the Great Depression, he becomes even more disillusioned, and his idealism is utterly stripped by the time he is sent to Honchuku Island, where he contributes to the exploitation of others.
A dark and contemplative journey of a sentient being whose perception of reality is drastically altered and must come to terms with who he has become and his potential future, "The Behavior of the Sea" is a tale of humankind.