Overview

Set in Manchuria in the aftermath of the Asian Pacific War. The central character is Kuki Kyauzao, whose settler parents relocated from Japan to the Manchurian puppet-state as the Japanese empire expanded. Kyauzao's father, a factory technician, dies shortly after he is born. In the course of Japan's defeat and the Soviet Union's occupation of Manchuria, Kyauzao's mother is seriously wounded, forcing him to remain behind with her rather than evacuate with the other Japanese citizens. Her subsequent death leaves Kyauzao alone in the abandoned Japanese settlement, and he is employed as a houseboy by Alexandrov, an officer in the Soviet army. Approximately two years after the end of hostilities, Kyauzao decides to return to Japan. Providing money, a train ticket, and official travel documents, Alexandrov bids Kyauzao farewell. On the train Kyauzao meets Kao, who appears to be a fellow Japanese, much to Kyauzao's relief. The train is attacked, but Kyauzao and Kao manage to escape, fleeing by foot across the harsh Manchurian plains. Kyauzao gradually comes to realize that Kao is in possession of stolen heroin and is being pursued by the Chinese Communists, who are battling the Nationalist forces for control of the mainland. Finally arriving at a city, Kyauzao is betrayed by Kao, who beats him and steals his identity papers and travel documents. Utterly destitute, Kyauzao makes his way to a Japanese repatriation center. The difficulty is that Kyauzao lacks any documents to prove that he is Japanese. Exposure to the elements has left him deeply sunburned, which further casts doubt on his Japanese identity. He wanders the city and meets another Japanese named Okura, who takes an unusual interest in Kyauzao's relationship with Kao --