Wow. A young Scottish bride sails in 1906 to marry a British military attache in China. She becomes more and more independent with her long sea voyage, and her marriage turns out to be anything but fulfilling. Falling in love with a Japanese aristocrat/military officer results in her young daughter being ripped from her & placed back on a ship home. She takes matters into her own hands, sailing to Japan instead, and spending the next 30 years building a life for herself there. A fascinating look at the times of east Asia--colonialism, a modernizing Japan rocked at times with nationalism and militarism, the world wars, natural disasters, and a reminder of how much women's lives could be controlled by the whims of their husbands--often through financial practices, tradition, and through decisions made about their children. Very moving.