Kishibe Midori (Ikeda Elaiza), an editor for a popular fashion magazine, finds herself transferring to the lexicography division following the magazine's discontinuation. The place is filled with a group of quirky characters, led by Majime Mitsuya (Noda Yojiro), a boss with a shaggy hair who is extremely serious. While being tossed about by them, Midori is influenced by their patience and passion for making a dictionary which takes over a decade, and she gradually immerses herself in the work. This drama depicts their struggles in creating and finalizing the dictionary, "The Great Passage."
A proud young calligrapher is punished for punching a critic by being sent to a faraway island in the east coast of Japan. But as he meets and lives with the island's friendly people, his attitude begins to improve.