What lies within however is a story of love, mortality, frailty and what the meaning of family really is. You play the part of the titular Kana Todo's older brother, Taka, a young man whose little sister has spent the vast majority of her life hospital bound as she struggles with an almost certainly fatal illness. Through his eyes you see Kana grow from a small child that he once resented into a beautiful young woman he cares dearly for. Whether you smoother her with affection or try to help her accept the reality of dying is up to you as the player. You may even try desperately to save her life, but no matter what path you take through the game it is hard to come out the other side not feeling genuinely moved.

The story is told both in the present and as a series of flashbacks, some going back to when both you and Kana were still quite young and often at odds with one another. This look back at both your and her formative years really gives you a sense of watching her grow as a person. Though at first Taka can be crass and abrasive towards Kana, as he matures so does his outlook towards his younger sibling. While the game does primarily center around Kana through the course of growing up, going to school and many visits to the hospital, other people come into play in both your and her life. Some are fleeting while others are more determined to stay a part of either your or your sister's life, the latter of which present themselves as potential romantic interests to both characters.

If there was a single VN that I'd recommend to anyone even remotely interested in the genre, this would be it.