This is the tale of two brothers, orphaned and raised by their grandparents, coming of age during the Second World War and the subsequent occupation of Japan. One brother is artistic and the other is athletic. Their close bonds with their grandparents and with one another see them through much danger and difficulty.

I love historical fiction, and I enjoyed this book up until about the point at which the US occupation of Japan ends. After that, I felt the story fell apart. It seemed almost as if the author didn't know how to end it, so she kept on writing, heaping more and more tragedy on the characters, without adding any value to the story.