etim romanom, kotoryi sravnivaiut s knigami Sommerseta Moema i Grema Grina, Tan Tvan eng triumfalno voshel v literaturu. Glavnyi geroi, Filip Khatton, syn anglichanina i kitaianki, chuvstvuet sebia odinokim вÐ"†on chuzhak dazhe v sobstvennoi seme. Znakomstvo s iapontcem endo-sanom perevorachivaet ego zhizn. endo-san stanovitsia emu nastavnikom i uchitelem. Mezhdu tem nachinaetsia Vtoraia mirovaia voina. Iapontcy, zakhvativshie ostrov, na kotorom zhila semia Filipa, zhestoki i bezzhalostny. Ikh zhertvami stanoviatsia v tom chisle i blizkie geroia. Pered litcom smerti liudiam uzhe net neobkhodimosti skryvat svoi podlinnye chuvstva. Filipu predstoit mnogoe pereotcenit, v tom chisle i svoi otnosheniia s endo-sanom i sobstvennym ottcom.