Spring Snow

Book 1 of 4: The Sea of Fertility

Tokyo, 1912. The closed world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders—rich provincial families, a new and powerful political and social elite.

Key elements of the story:

• Kiyoaki has been raised among the elegant Ayakura family—members of the waning aristocracy—but he is not one of them.
• Coming of age, he finds himself caught in the tensions between the old and the new.
• His feelings for the exquisite and spirited Satoko grow stronger, observed from the sidelines by his devoted friend Honda.

When Satoko is engaged to a royal prince, Kiyoaki realizes the magnitude of his passion.