A rogue family of the Japanese mafia, the Yakuza, hires an international assassin in its drive for revenge. Gray Holden, a Quaker and pacifist, is forced to confront his values when he unwittingly becomes the target of their nationwide manhunt. Gray is befriended by an intriguing Japanese woman and her young son-a friendship that enlivens and endangers all three. It's a story of loss and redemption, guilt and escape, all set against the backdrop of cherry blossom time and Japan's conflicted memories of World War II.