"Here is the world-famous novel of Japan that is the earliest book in James Clavell's masterly Asian saga. Set in the year 1600, it tells the story of a bold English pilot whose ship was blown ashore in Japan, where he encountered two people who were to change his life: a warlord with his own quest for power, and a beautiful interpreter torn between two ways of life and two ways of love."--Provided by publisher.

"The heir to the magnificent English trading company, the Noble House--the direct descendant of the first Toranaga Shogun battling to usher his country into the modern age--a beautiful young French woman forever torn between ambition and desire--Their lives intertwine in an exotic land newly open to foreigners, gai-jin, torn apart by greed, idealism, and terrorism. Their passions mingle with monarchs and diplomats, assassins, courtesans and spies"--Amazon.com....

"The setting is Hong Kong, 1963. The action spans scarcely more than a week, but these are days of high adventure: from kidnapping and murder to financial double-dealing and natural catastrophes--fire, flood, landslide. Yet they are days filled as well with all the mystery and romance of Hong Kong--the heart of Asia--rich in every trade ... money, flesh, opium, power"--Back cover.