Giacomo Foscari grew up in Venice in the 1930s and '40s, witnessing the rise and fall of Fascism in Italy. From a wealthy and well-educated family, as a child he loved history and mythology, eventually obtaining a degree in that field and a teaching position in Japan in the 1960s. Starting in 1993 with his return to Japan after a long absence, the story weaves seamlessly over Giacomo's mid-twentieth century memories of life in Italy and Japan. As he draws parallels between Ancient Rome and traditional Shinto-influenced Japan, people and places all seem connected in a certain way, with new acquaintances reminding him of those long lost, reopening doors to episodes of his own past.