Shinichi Chiaki, the rejuvenated Roux-Marlet Orchestra's chief conductor, is swiftly earning a reputation for himself, while Megumi "Nodame" Noda has advanced rapidly as a pianist at the Conservatoire de Paris. Tensions between the two rise as Nodame feels left behind by Chiaki's burgeoning popularity and his close connection with famous piano prodigy Rui Son. Despite the advise of her teacher, Professor Charles Auclair, Nodame enters another piano competition in an attempt to launch her own musical career. Meanwhile, others surrounding Chiaki and Nodame are at a crossroads of their own. After hearing Nodame's playing and being refused tutelage from Auclair, Rui begins to question herself; Maestro Franz von Stresemann confronts the truth of his mortality; and pianists Yunlong Li and Tatiana Vishneva rehearse tirelessly.