Tomoya Okazaki, a disreputable young man resigned to failure in his future, finds his existence tedious. Along with his accomplice, Youhei Sunohara, he habitually skips classes and squanders his high school hours in idleness. One day while on his way to class, he spots a solitary girl who suddenly utters "Anpan!" (a Japanese pastry). Intrigued, Tomoya discovers her name to be Nagisa Furukawa, an artless girl who uplifts herself by expressing her feelings aloud. She considers Tomoya her friend, but he disregards her and moves on. As Tomoya gets increasingly closer to Nagisa, he becomes more fascinated by her. Finally, he relents and befriends her. Nagisa had to repeat a year due to a severe illness and is eager to revive the school's drama club. Tomoya agrees to help Nagisa, along with four other young women, to attain their goals, feeling he has nothing better to do. As Tomoya spends more time with his new friends, he discovers their individual problems. In aiding them to cope with their struggles, he realizes that life is not as dull as he had initially thought.