In a remote island village during World War II, the maniacally dedicated Dr. Akagi is known as Dr. Liver because of his tireless efforts to combat hepatitis. However, the Japanese government is reluctant to support his attempts to find a cure because it is busy wasting resources trying to win an unwinnable war. Joined by a Buddhist priest, a morphine-addicted surgeon, a Dutch POW, and a former prostitute who falls in love with him, Akagi comically runs from house call to house call in a race to find a cure on his own. The film is adapted from the novel DOCTOR LIVER by Ango Sakaguchi. Director Shohei Imamura worked on the script with his son Daisuke Imamura, who writes under the name Daisuke Tengan. The film includes several beautiful surrealistic touches, including a battle with a whale that recalls Herman Melville`s classic novel MOBY-DICK. In the end, hepatitis turns out to be Akagi`s own white whale, deforming his personal relationships and making him forget his primary mission as a physician.