Melos runs toward his sister's wedding knowing his best friend dies if he doesn't make it back. That's the entire story. The king's ultimatum strips away every distraction except the raw fact of one man choosing to keep his word over his own survival, and a friendship so solid that neither of them hesitates about what gets sacrificed. By the end you understand why this story has lasted two thousand years.

Melos, a countryman from Greece, is seized and charged with conspiring against the king. He is granted three days to go to his sister's wedding, while Selinentius, a gifted sculptor, is held as a hostage in his place. If Melos does not make it back before the time runs out, the king will put Selinentius to death instead of him. Adapted from Dazai Osamu's 1940 short story, which itself draws on Greek legend through a poem by Schiller, this single-episode drama was first released as a television special in 1981.