It is the first day of shooting. Actress Kaori Momoi arrives amidst a typhoon. NON struggles daily on set; but she is inspired by Ms. Momoi, who is also a director. Three months prior to shooting--while NON prepares to create her movie--she visits movie director, Hirokazu Kore-eda. Kore-eda teaches her about the difference between self-expression and self-exhibition. A few weeks later, NON arrives in Tono City, Iwate where she adopts a classroom in a closed school as a studio. She takes inspiration for her screenplay from the stories and folk tales told by locals in the area.

NON completes the first draft of her screenplay and asks Sunao Katabuchi, a movie director she is friends with, to read it. Katabuchi advises NON about screenwriting and plot twists. NON reworks her screenplay while starting preparations on the costumes and set. NON’s friend, actress Honami Kurashita comes to her aid. Meanwhile, NON sends the script to Ms. Momoi to offer her a vital role. She feels that it is imperative that Ms. Momoi plays the role of the grandmother of the heroine, who NON will portray herself. The shooting schedule is decided, and NON begins to panic about how little time she has to prepare. Honami’s help picks up the pace considerably, but there is still much left to do.

Two weeks before filming is set to start, the studio begins to fill up with pro crew members who have come to help NON. They arrive at the filming location to discuss set dressings and check camera angles. When NON looks through the camera for the first time, she begins to second guess her directing capabilities. Despite a typhoon closing in on Tono, work continues late into the night before the first day of shooting. The next day is hectic with NON rushing to check locations and finish props until the last minute. Ms. Momoi arrives and filming starts. As they shoot, Ms. Momoi comes up with a wealth of ideas.

Voice recording work, staff meetings, and costume preparations keep the team working late but finally, the first day of shooting comes to an end. Scenes with the heroine and her family are set to film on day two. Ms. Momoi livens the mood on set, but a mistake with the schedule pushes the entire schedule back and cast are forced to wait. NON begins to notice the differences between being the director and a cast member. On day three they film scenes at the grandmother’s house. NON has never been good at talking to people, but she is learning to overcome that and communicate her thoughts to the crew.

On day three they are filming scenes inside the grandmother’s house, which is adorned with brilliantly colored dresses. Throughout the movie, the grandmother wears outlandish dresses, something NON came up with after listening to Mr. Katabuchi and Ms. Momoi’s advice. NON and Ms. Momoi share opinions throughout the shoot, but NON is now having trouble organizing her ideas. It's the fourth day, and Ms. Momoi's last day on set. Dining with Ms. Momoi the night before seemed to have a positive effect on NON, who has been looking forward to filming today’s scene with the grandmother dressed as a supernatural spirit.

As Ms. Momoi’s scenes come to a close, NON disrupts the shoot by making an unexpected mistake at the very last moment. A week later, several crew members are gathered in the studio. NON regrets putting together a large team for Ms. Momoi’s scenes despite initially wanting to do as much as she could on her own. She makes the decision to use a small crew of talented people who share her vision for the rest of the film. She prepares for the next scenes by brushing up her filming, lighting, and recording skills.

The day filming is to resume is met with snowy weather, hindering production. NON pushes through but the crew worries about how the weather will affect the continuity of the footage they had filmed earlier. They decide to film indoors in the afternoon, but they fall behind schedule and cannot finish filming all the scenes planned for the day. Meanwhile, the crew members have difficulty understanding NON’s vision. Day two starts with a toppling domino scene, but NON becomes irritated when the scene doesn’t go the way she had hoped. They visit multiple locations on this day and by the time they reach the last location it is almost dark out.

Day three of filming calls for a river scene. NON and Honami shoot the scene in water despite the snow. With the kind help of crew members providing fire and hot water, they manage to finish the scene. As filming continues, NON panics when she realizes some scenes have been left out. On day eight, they film a morning assembly scene with the cooperation of local high school teachers and students. Honami had been working away from Tono until the day before. NON asks Honami to take the day off out of consideration for her busy schedule, but Honami insists on helping and shows up to the shoot.

Filming is in its last stages. Many locals participate in the shoot as the shoot continues. NON and Honami must film an important scene for their characters, but their real-life problems spill onto set. Despite this, NON’s crew continues moving forward to reach their goal until the shoot wraps. Three months later, NON returns to Tono to start editing. As she edits, she finds that she is missing some vital scenes. She re-assembles her crew to film the extra scenes she needs. When the movie is nearly complete, Honami pays NON a visit.

NON decides to host a sneak preview in Tono. She works on finishing her edits while she and Honami prepare for the screening. When NON and Honami check out the venue, they find the movie crew there and ready to help. The movie is finally complete, and those who participated in making the movie gather in large numbers. After the movie, NON stands in front of the crowd and shares the thoughts and feelings she put into making it. The audience erupts in applause and the movie showing is a great success. The day for NON to leave Tono arrives.