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.