A novel set in Kyoto, following the changing seasons and festivals of the old city. Chieko, the daughter of a kimono merchant, learns that she may not be the child she believed herself to be, and she meets a young woman who looks very like her. Their encounters unfold against temples, gardens, weaving workshops and fading craft traditions. The book is a gentle study of identity, family and a culture adapting to modern life, written with careful attention to place and the beauty of ordinary things.