Description

"Martek does a beautiful job orchestrating the interactions between his characters." -Authors Reading

Haru is an analyst with Murano, Japan's largest securities firm. He is on a career fast-track and slated for an off-shore posting in New York. All he need do is complete the series of executive training programs... and find a wife.

But Haru doesn't even have a girlfriend. Murano, however, help their young men with introductions, and at the annual cherry blossom festival, Haru finds himself sitting across from Reiko. Though empty of feeling for her, they begin to date, and on a trip to mountain hot springs, Haru stumbles into a proposal.

The demands of the relationship - buying an apartment, meeting parents, arranging for the wedding, and managing an unexpected affair with Emily the office girl - send Haru's ordered world spiralling. When the economy descends into financial crisis, Haru is culled from the final graduation and loses his coveted position.