"Set in turn-of-the-century Japan against the backdrop of a declining Noh theatre and in Paris during the heady days when French Impressionism was in full bloom, this novel tells the story of a young Japanese artist who sacrifices everything: family, love, and fortune, for his art.".

"The artist's father, a reclusive carver renowned for his haunting masks, dedicates his life to the theatre after tragedy leaves him incapable of love. Kiyoki, his only son, born into a house filled with masks and anguish, dreams of being a painter in the Western-style rather than following in his father's footsteps.

Forsaking carving and the approval of his father, Kiyoki flees to Paris, where he experiences all of the freedoms and difficulties of being one of the first Japanese expatriates of his time." "As Kiyoki's heart leads him inevitably back to Japan, he must weigh all that he gained over the course of his travels with all that he has left behind."--BOOK JACKET.