Gaston Bonaparte, a young Frenchman, visits Tokyo to stay with his
pen-pal Takamori. His appearance is a bitter disappointment to his new
friends and his behavior causes them acute embarrassment. He is a
trusting person with a simple love for others, and he continues to trust
even after they have demonstrated deceit and betrayal. He spends his
time not sightseeing but making friends with street children, stray
dogs, prostitutes, and gangsters. This novel charts his misadventures
with sharp irony, satire, and objectivity.