The Wakeatte Inn stands at the foot of the mountain in Nasu Kogen, a resort area in Japan. According to a taxi driver to the hotel, it is run by a mysterious couple; Mr. Kondo, despite being a natural scientist, runs this hotel with his wife and writes columns about nature. The wife of Mr. Kondo has run away from her past divorce. The guests who visit the hotel, with their wounded past, feelings, and loneliness, begin to reevaluate their busy lives and take a new step forward through encountering delicious food, enchanting words, and lifestyle presented by the hotel owner and his wife. The owner delivers a message: it is important to enjoy your present life while accepting what cannot be changed, likening it to the relationship between plants and humans.

ペンションmeans a small hotel or a resort inn or B&B style accommodation in Japanese, and ワケアッテis the original term created for this novel, deriving from the term「わけあり」(Wakeari), meaning something or someone having secrets or certain backgrounds.