"Amid the ever-treacherous intrigue in the court, Sano Ichirō has been demoted from chamberlain to a lowly patrol guard. His relationship with his wife Reiko is in tatters, and a bizarre new alliance between his two enemies Yanagisawa and Ienobu has left him bewildered and wary. Yet Sano's dedication to the way of the warrior--the samurai code of honor--is undiminished. Then a harrowing, almost inconceivable crime takes place"--