In the shadow of a poignant Japanese proverb advocating self-reliance—Rely on your own walking stick rather than people—Mi's life takes an unforeseen and harrowing turn. Overcoming the paralysis of the morning left her with a deformed leg, rendering the proverb a cruel reality. As if guided by an inexorable hand of fate, those she holds closest to her heart, one by one, betray her trust, leaving Mi to navigate a world of isolation and despair. Caught in the suffocating grip of a loveless marriage to a foreign doctor who aided her in regaining her mobility, Mi's existence mirrors that of a caged animal—trapped and yearning for freedom. The echoes of her past love and the dreams of a future once cherished are silenced by the heavy chains of her present reality. In this riveting tale of betrayal, resilience, and intrigue, Mi's journey is a testament to the enduring power of the human spirit. Join her as she navigates a treacherous landscape, where...

When Keiko chooses duty over love, she wonders if the code of the samurai is worth the heartache. Leaving Edo to save the life of a man she once loved, Keiko must give up everything she has worked for. She vows one day to return, but she has learned the hard lesson that the gods have a dark sense of humor. The city of Kobe seems a world away from Edo, a place where she could disappear, become whoever she wants to be, and leave the way of the samurai behind her. But the code of bushido is not so easily discarded. Even as Keiko makes new friends, new allies, and explores new dreams, her duty calls to her. Torn between a life of joy and a life of honor, Keiko knows that she can never truly have both.

Men speak of sacrifice, but only a woman who has lost everything truly knows what the word means. It is said that the gods become offended when mere humans try to usurp their supremacy in directing earthly affairs. Keiko learns this in a way that leaves her with nothing but crushing grief. To catch a traitor, Keiko must lower herself to serve the man who betrayed her, forced to become his slave. When she loses the thing that has come to mean more to her than anything else in the world, she does not know if she can–or should–continue fighting. If life is only suffering, she would rather die an honorable death. She is alone, abandoned by the world, and it is only by the strangest twist of fate that a figure from her past returns and promises to help her turn disaster into triumph. But will the cost be worth it?

The war in the Crimea is over. Delighted to be reunited with her husband, Lord Kyle, Terue thinks she will soon be home again in her beloved Scottish Highlands. But fate is not finished with her yet. Terue learns that her daughter is a geisha in Edo. Overjoyed at the chance to be reunited with her child again, she and her husband set out to find Kazhua, returning to where Terue's life began in the Floating World. But old dangers and new foes abound. Forced to live in hiding, finding Kazhua without revealing Terue's true identity proves more difficult than they expected. Terue is so close to finding her daughter, she can feel the red thread that binds them together pulling taught. But reaching out to Kazhua could put all their lives at risk.

Even the strongest woman has her breaking point, and Keiko has reached hers. Sick at heart and wanting only to leave her past behind her, Keiko is drawn to the sea. Seeking refuge from the world that has nearly torn her spirit apart, she boards the first ship she finds and sails away gladly from her former life. Although Keiko thinks she is done with her past life, fate has much more in store. Her ship is taken by a band of wokou–desperate pirates who will kill to gain the treasure they seek. But just like Keiko, the wokou captain hides a secret. He is a man who, like her, has walked away from his past life, and Keiko comes to believe that she has truly found a kindred spirit in this man who is not what he appears. Yet still, the gods are not ready to give Keiko the peace she craves. Once more, the way of the samurai calls to her and she has to face her greatest challenge. Only this time, love and honor are two sides of...

In Japan, it is widely believed that everyone's life is bound by the red thread of their fate. The thread connects to all those we come in contact with throughout our lives. Thus, each path in life is predestined. Terue knows this. Just as she knows that one day her red thread will guide her to Kazhua, the daughter she was forced to abandon on the day of her birth in Edo's Floating World. But before she can find Kazhua, fate has much in store for Terue. Following her new husband, Lord Kyle, from the Highlands of Scotland to fight in the Crimea, Terue serves as a nurse, witnessing the horrors of the battlefield. Injured, kidnapped, and assumed dead, Terue must face the possibility that she might never see her beloved daughter or husband again...

In the world of a Japanese proverb, the frog who resides in a well knows nothing beyond its narrow confines. Mi's life mirrored this notion until she was struck by the devastating grip of polio, thrusting her into a world of unexpected challenges. After months of grappling with fever and pain, she emerged not as a hopeless cripple, but as a survivor with a newfound purpose. Mi's story transcends the boundaries of her well-like existence, revealing a journey of resilience and transformation. In the wake of polio's relentless assault, her world seemed smaller than ever, akin to a frog trapped in a well. Yet, a twist of fate catapulted her into a vast, unfamiliar realm—a realm that threatened to engulf her entirely. Join Mi as she takes her first tentative step on a journey that defies adversity and celebrates the indomitable spirit within. In this captivating narrative, discover how Mi's determination shines brightly, even in the darkest of times.

Memories are gifts from the gods. But they can also be a curse... Washing up on a strange and distant shore after being swept off her ship, Keiko is given the precious opportunity to walk away from who she was and find true peace and happiness. Two things that have eluded her ever since she first took up her father's sword. But Keiko should know that she can never truly escape her past. When her new life is upended, Keiko sees that the true path of the samurai is one that she can never run away from. It is only through vengeance that can she ever hope to find peace for her troubled soul.

At the end of the beginning, and the beginning of the end, a journey will come full circle... When Keiko suffers a terrible, personal loss, she believes that she has been reduced to nothing and can no longer wield her samurai sword. In order to survive, she is forced to become little more than a beggar, a humiliating ending for a woman who once inspired legends. But fate still has her own plans for Keiko's future. After traveling the world, and living a hundred different lives, Keiko finds herself right back where she started, and the answers she seeks waiting for her right where her journey first began.

A new world full of beautiful possibilities, but old scars run deep.Midori No Me, the Geisha with the Green Eyes, has finally escaped the Floating World and is living her dream performing in a kabuki troop as it travels the United States.But she cannot outrun the ghosts of the past. Jealousy and deceit threaten the new life she is trying to build. And when she learns of the cruelty her old master, the yakuza Akira, is inflicting on her friends back in Edo, she cannot ignore their plight. She must somehow find the courage to venture back to the Floating World to help others escape from the prison that was once hers.The Geisha with the Green Eyes must become The Dragon Geisha.

In a world built on lies, one woman's quest for truth and freedom begins. Life is never easy for a rebel, especially one determined to forge her own path in a society that demands conformity. Ayame has always felt at odds with her place in the world, her spirit yearning for freedom. Her parents' latest decree—to marry her off to a repulsive suitor—becomes the final straw, pushing her to the brink of despair. In a desperate bid for autonomy, Ayame turns to her new friend in Kyoto's infamous pleasure quarter. Amid the vibrant chaos and shadowy corners of this sleazy district, she makes a startling discovery: her entire life has been built on a foundation of lies. The truth about her origins, hidden from her for so long, emerges, revealing that her past is not what it seemed. Determined to break free from the shackles of her fabricated existence, Ayame embarks on a perilous journey back to her unknown beginnings. As she delves...