The novel opens with a description of the protagonist's journey from Ireland to Japan. The protagonist is on his way to school in Toyo, a city in northeastern Japan, when he meets Rori, the daughter of an Irish engineer. Rori tells the protagonist that her father, an engineer, was a "sweet" man, who couldn't bear to have a teenager around. He tells Rori that he's glad she's here, because he'll be able to practice before the start of the school year, which begins in two days