An elderly gentleman confronts the darker forces beneath his seemingly tranquil existence in this novel of hindsight and self-awareness. As the victim of a debilitating stroke, the man finds solace in reliving his time spent working in Japan, a euphoric period in which he was surrounded by an assortment of intriguing figures, including his unhappy wife, his efficient research assistant, and his inscrutable houseboy. Now that his condition has left him partially blind, he ironically begins to see past events with renewed clarity, and his idle musings are suddenly shattered by a shocking realization that hurls him into oblivion.