After his mother's death, Muna travels to the capital of 12th-century Japan to find the samurai father he has never known. He meets a mysterious ronin, and eventually finds a home with a master swordsmith. But Muna cannot become a man until he finds his rightful place amidst the dazzling wealth and devastating poverty of feudal Kyoto. Before writing the novels for which she is most known (including Newbery winner The Bridge to Terabithia), Katherine Paterson lived for many years in Japan and set her first novels there.