Daniel Thayne, a young Englishman, finds himself trapped in Tokyo: working illegally in a ramshackle language school, his passport lost, he is hustled towards marriage with Keiko, his Japanese girlfriend. In the gloom of the rainy season, Daniel's life takes on a nightmarish quality: his devious boss, Mrs Chiba, refuses to pay him any money; a stranger accosts him with a mysterious special offer; a foul Australian takes him to an unspeakable whores' meeting place; and Samuel Echtbein, an American, is a constant thorn in Daniel's side. But most threatening of all are the Haradas, Keiko's family, who take control of his life...