General Bonner Fellers, a leading expert in Japanese history and culture on the staff of General Douglas MacArthur, is given the job of deciding whether or not Emperor Hirohito should be tried and hanged as a war criminal. It's a challenging task that requires all of the wisdom that he has gained in his many years of seeing the damage that war can inflict. The general is about to gain even more insights as he embarks upon a search for Aya, a woman he knew as a Japanese exchange student to the U.S. when he was young. As he tries to determine her whereabouts and well-being, he comes to a conclusion about what he must do about Emperor Hirohito, a decision that has far-reaching consequences.
