Newspaper journalist Shunsuke Akiba is transferred to the cultural desk and put in charge of shogi. He meets Nobushige Sanada, a 33-year-old aiming to be a professional shogi player by achieving the rank of 4-dan or more. Sanada is over the age limit as he could not achieve 4-dan by the age of 26, and is now trying to take an exam for admission to 3-dan. Akiba supports Sanada's attempt to become a professional shogi player and becomes interested in the game.
The Japanese 38th South Pole research expedition team are at the Dome base. Located 1,000 km away from the main Showa base at an altitude of 3,800 m, it is called the most inhospitable place on earth with an average temperature of -54 deg Celsius. No living thing or even a virus can survive in such an environment. Three of the seven-member expedition team are researchers and the remaining four are support personnel. However, they are common men who have to live together in the confined space of the Dome base for one year.