Chie Uchida, a talented student, does not fit the mold of her countryside life and provincial upbringing. She's not certain what she wants, but knows that unlike her beloved brother, her future does not spell contentment on a tea farm. Her self-absorbed best friend has a rebellious streak but doesn't present a model Chie wants to follow.

Entering college, Chie plunges headlong into emotional turmoil as she takes her first misguided steps into womanhood—she misreads the attention of one professor and the aspirations of another.

Set in 1970s Japan, the Showa era, the story evokes nostalgia for a simpler time as traditional customs and values fade away and Japanese society inexorably changes to meet the expectations and demands of a more modern world.

The characters in this novel, drawn with a deft deliberation and intimate distance, arouse empathy as they struggle, submit, and surrender.