The book is set in the post WW2 in Japan. We follow the protagonist through his current life with lots of reflection of the past (ie. pre-war Japan). He took us on a journey of his life, from his youthful naivete to his older and perhaps regretful self. It was a bit of mystery to begin with, as everyone around him seems to reproach him very subtly and yet as per the ending, maybe it was all not as he thought it was... or was it?