France, 1861. When an epidemic threatens to wipe out the silk trade in France, Hervi Joncour, a young silk breeder, has to travel overland to distant Japan, out of bounds to foreigners, to smuggle out healthy silkworms. In the course of his secret negotiations with the local baron, Joncour's attention is arrested by the man's concubine – a girl who does not have oriental eyes. Although they...