Life in modern Tokyo is a blast for Rei Shimura, a young Japanese-American woman who enjoys busy times while an antiques dealer and steamy evenings with a devoted new boyfriend. But things come to a standstill when Rei overpays for the rare old dresser for a rich client, the owner of a well-known Zen temple in Kamakura. The beautiful tansu turns out to be a false: the worst deal Rei offers available. When the temple family changes on Rei-and the con man who offered the tansu is murdered-she realizes she’s opened a Pandora’s package of deception and murder. A martial artist, an aspiring rock and roll singer, and an older antiques coach all become section of Rei’s search for the killer through the shadows of an ancient lifestyle. As her world begins to rapidly and inexplicably unravel, Rei realizes that it will require power, wit, and a Zen attitude to survive.