In the year of 1825, following a proposal by Takahashi Kageyasu, the Japanese Government issued an 'Order to Drive Away Foreign Ships' (Ikokusen uchiharairei, also known as the 'Ninen nashi', or 'No second thought' law), which commanded absolutely all coastal authorities in Japan to arrest or kill any foreigners coming ashore without exception. Grenville Grant, an English smuggler of western medical books, is found to have contacted scarlet fever and rather than risk losing his trade, his Japanese partner has him nursed back to health in a brothel. However, while he is recuperating, the 'Ninen Nashi' law comes into operation, which means he is stuck in Japan and without a way back. Worse follows when the brothel is raided and he is forced to hide out in inhospitable mountain ranges for over a year. He is aided by two young sisters who believe he is a tengu (long-nosed goblin), an esoteric mountain hermit and a huge dog, whilst being continually hunted for sport by a ruthless daimyo (lord) The story weaves from past to present and back, where Rebecca Grant is preparing to enter a red-brick university to study Japanese and uses her gap year to work and study in Japan whilst seeking to uncover links to her male ancestor. All she has is his logbook and his handwritten Japanese-English dictionary.