It is a tale of ill-treatment of stepchild which has a structural outline similar to that of the story of Cinderella, in which the lovely Ochikubo no Himegimi was forced to live in a humble place on the corner of the main house where, as the title expresses, the tatami floor sank into a hole, and she was ill-treated by her stepmother.
美しい容貌を持つ主人公の落窪姫君が、その名の通り寝殿の隅にある、畳の落ち窪んだ陋屋に住まわされ、継母からのいじめにあうという、シンデレラとも似通った構図を持つ継子いじめ物語。