This book is set in Edo, Japan in 1861, during the American Civil War and near the end of the Takagawa Shogunate. The book revolves around three American missionaries and the Japanese Lord who sponsors their stay in the country during a time of struggle against outside influence in Japan.

The first few pages of this book did not immediately grab my attention, but by page 20, I was enthralled. As the story unfolds, many background details are given in flashbacks. The flashbacks weren't blended into the story, rather the story stopped to allow for the flashback. But the writing itself was very interesting and there was much character development. Apparently there are some historical inaccuracies in this book, but I didn't notice them. It had some interesting bits of mysticism and also several romances which were well woven into the story and I felt added to the story rather than detracting from it as some love stories do.

Over all I really enjoyed this book. Once I got into it, I never wanted to put it down. My one complaint is that sometimes I felt that certain actions and thoughts of some of the samurai were not actions or thoughts that Edo-era samurai would've really had, but the author is Japanese American while my vague knowledge of the era comes only from having read James Clavell's Shogun, so I could easily be wrong. I'm very much looking forward to reading the sequel, Autumn Bridge, when it becomes available.