Plot
American actor Phillip Vanderploeg lives in Tokyo and constantly searches for work following his success in a toothpaste commercial seven years earlier. He is stuck taking minor roles until he is hired by Rental Family, a company owned by Shinji that provides actors to play stand-in family members and friends for strangers. Initially reluctant due to its seemingly absurd premise, Phillip, desperate for funds, takes the job as the company's "token white guy".
Phillip's first job is to act as the fiancé of Yoshie, a lesbian who is already married and wants to perform a traditional wedding for her parents before she and her wife secretly leave for Canada. Phillip nearly bails as he has issues with being untruthful, but his co-worker Aiko convinces him to commit and he finds the experience rewarding.
Between other clients, Phillip takes on two long-term jobs. In one he must act as the estranged father of a young half-Japanese girl named Mia, whose single mother Hitomi needs help getting her enrolled in a private school and believes it would be better if even Mia herself was led to believe Phillip is her actual father. In the other, he plays a journalist profiling retired actor Kikuo Hasegawa, who has dementia and is kept under constant surveillance by his daughter Masami.
Philip's life is generally lonely. He spends his time drinking at home looking into the neighbours' homes, and occasionally spending time with Lola, a prostitute he regularly sees who seems to have a bond with him. Phillip begins to form strong bonds with Kikuo and Mia, who initially resents her "father" for abandoning her but eventually warms up to him. He increasingly spends more time with her, and takes her to a cat Festival. While at the festival, Philip reveals to Mia that he has no close family left alive, except for her.
Philip here finds Lola working at the festival market as a palmreader, who reads Mia's palm. He learns from his agent Sonia, that he has landed a highly coveted role. However, it would require him to relocate to Korea: to her surprise, he declines it for Mia's sake. Hitomi warns Phillip against getting too close to Mia and is offended when he speaks critically of her already mapping out Mia's whole life for her.
At Masami's insistence, Phillip reluctantly declines Kikuo's request to take him to his abandoned childhood home in Amakusa. He also learns that some of Aiko's jobs involve her pretending to be a mistress apologizing to the wives of unfaithful husbands, often resulting in her being physically assaulted. Phillip is reluctant to lose the connections he has made, but Shinji asserts that parting ways with clients is a brutal but inevitable part of the job.
Following the successful school interview, Phillip is forced to tell Mia that he must return to the United States. His time with her inspires him to take Kikuo to Amakusa. Kikuo finds a time capsule containing pictures of himself with his first wife, who died of an illness shortly after he left her behind to pursue his acting career in Tokyo; he breaks down upon seeing the photos and tearfully thanks Phillip for bringing him.
Shinji calls Phillip and berates him for "kidnapping" Kikuo, but Phillip accuses him of using Rental Family to soullessly fill empty holes rather than make genuine connections. At home, Shinji dismisses his "wife" and teenage "son," revealing them to be rented actors. Kikuo collapses from exhaustion and is rushed to the hospital by Phillip, who is arrested and detained for Kikuo's supposed abduction.
Mia discovers Phillip's true identity when her friend recognizes him on television. She is initially upset with her mother for lying to her, but soon forgives her. During another session where Aiko acts as a man's mistress, she breaks character, informs the man's wife of the truth, and leaves.
Aiko and her co-worker Kota later pretend to be lawyers interviewing Kikuo in an effort to exonerate Phillip. Shinji also arrives, posing as a police detective. They and Kikuo convince Masami not to press charges against Phillip. Some time later, Kikuo dies in his sleep. Aiko, Shinji, Kota, and Phillip attend his funeral.
Phillip visits Mia, who was accepted into the school, and reintroduces himself to her with his real name. The two continue to spend time together as friends. Phillip continues working at Rental Family, which discontinues its practice of the "apology services" that led to Aiko's abuse.
Phillip returns to the Shinto shrine he once prayed at with Kikuo; having previously declined Kikuo's invitation to see what he was praying to. Now, he decides to look inside. Phillip sees his reflection in a mirror, causing him to smile.
