Despite the bombs raining down on London, Kenzo Uchida only has one thought- to tell his life story to his daughter that he never met.
In 1919, Kenzo and his partner Mitsu arrive in Constantinople to open the Japanese consulate. Kenzo meets Elisa, a feisty Ukrainian cigarette girl in a nightclub and she becomes his consort to hide his gay relationship while in Europe. The unlikely trio begin an adventure leading to the decadence of post-war Paris until disaster strikes.
Returning broken and alone to the growing militarism in Japan, Kenzo discovers an unexpected path in Zen Buddhism. Yet no teachings prepare him for the revelation to come about his life, his loves and the political and social events around him. One the eve of WWII, a long-lost letter from Elisa breaks his quiet reflection by revealing that he has a daughter in New York, who is now 16.
As Kenzo embarks on a perilous secret mission to meet Nina, with the breakout of World War II, he is worried that he will be thwarted by the Japanese military. But what plans does Elisa have for Kenzo? Will the letter to Nina ever arrive?