纽约一家餐厅的后厨，在午餐高峰期间，来自世界各地的厨师、帮厨、服务员都汇聚在这里。其中一位厨师，是年轻的墨西哥人佩德罗，他是一个梦想家和麻烦制造者，并爱上了女服务员茱莉亚。钱柜里的钱不见了，所有员工都要接受盘问，而佩德罗竟被指控偷钱给茱莉亚堕胎......故事开始朝着不可收拾的地步发展。

The 1973 novel was written by Kobo Abe and follows a nameless man who gives up his identity to live with a large cardboard box over his head, encountering a range of characters as he wanders the streets of Tokyo。