At the outset of A Pale View of Hills, the narrator, Etsuko, recounts a recent visit from her younger daughter, Niki. When attempting to name her, Etsuko wanted something modern, while her new husband, an Englishman, wanted to preserve her Japanese heritage. They settled on the name Niki, which her husband believed had “some vague echo of the East about it” (9). Niki is visiting Etsuko because her older daughter and Niki’s half-sister, Keiko, recently committed suicide by hanging herself. Niki did not attend the funeral because of the resentment she feels for Keiko, who did not attend Niki’s father’s funeral.

During Niki’s visit, Etsuko reflects on her memories of another woman, Sachiko, who she knew for a short time many years ago in Nagasaki. At that time, Etsuko lives in a new condo development on the outskirts of Nagasaki with her first husband, Jiro, who is Japanese.

Etsuko is halfway through her first pregnancy with Keiko when Sachiko and her daughter, Mariko, move into an old, dilapidated cottage across from Etsuko’s housing development. The cottage is visible from Etsuko’s apartment, and she often observes it from her window. Etsuko notices that Mariko is frequently left unsupervised and does not attend school.