A married couple, Kaname and Misako, have drifted apart and both know their marriage is over in all but name, yet neither can bring themselves to say so. Misako has a lover, and Kaname is quietly content to let matters stand. Meanwhile Misako's father, an old-fashioned man in Kyoto, enjoys traditional puppet theatre and the company of a young mistress. The novel sets the troubled modern couple against older Japanese tastes, and marks Tanizaki's turn from Western fashion toward tradition.