Though World War Two is raging, for the geisha of the Hirata house, life is quiet and focused. Ayana, known as Hanako the geisha, the most famous in Kyoto, has little to contend with besides her duties as a lady of the house with ritual and charm, and the attentions of Taichi Imamura, a soldier bent on becoming her patron. When a letter arrives from an old friend, hinting at atrocities being committed in Manchuria, Ayana determines to leave the...