Deadly conspiracies and thorny Japanese traditions war against an American diplomat and a samurai's daughter. Can their budding romance survive?
In 1859, the Americans have finally cracked open Nagasaki's centuries-old isolation. Sumi Taguchi, the daughter of a samurai, can hardly wait to investigate the outside world. But if she pursues her desires, she must disobey her family's elder and accept the dangerous consequences. Yet what can she do when her heart says to hold on?
John Cardiff, Nagasaki's first American consul, aims to make a fortune and marry his New York fiancée. But first, he must establish his trading company and navigate the strange culture. He expected his stay in Japan to be eye-opening and adventurous, but he didn't plan on an irresistible draw toward the Japanese people and his tutor, Sumi.
An anti-foreign samurai threatens not only John and Sumi's chance for romance but also their lives. Yet the fanatic may find his opponents are not the weaklings he imagined.