Ogata Shingo

Shingo is an elderly man who has recently become aware that his forgetfulness has become noticeable to those around him and that his son and secretary often cover for him, helping him to remember things he has forgotten. This causes Shingo to think about the past and to think about the legacy he will leave when he dies. Shingo is particularly thoughtful of the woman he loved as a young man, his own wife's sister, and the daughter-in-law who is being cuckolded by his own son.

It becomes clear to the reader early in the novel that Shingo has never loved his wife even though they have been together for more than thirty years. Shingo finds his wife indifferent and unattractive. The only reason Shingo married her was because he was in love with her sister. The sister, however, died at an early age leaving her young...