National Network for Equitable Library Service

A funeral in the family forces Alan Saxon to go home after a gap of many years to confront the father he hates. Old wounds are reopened and he beats a hasty retreat but escape is illusory. Though he flies off to the Far East, he cannot outrun his problems. His first port of call is Bangkok where he plays a round of golf with an old friend, Sam Limsong. Pleasure is soon overshadowed by some alarming developments and he flies on to Tokyo with deep misgivings. Contracted to make an instructional video, Saxon falls foul of his host, the tyrannical Shoei Ogino, head of a giant corporation and obsessed with the game of golf. In Ogino’s relationship with his three sons, Saxon sees parallels with his own father’s attitudes. Those parallels are thrown into sharper relief when Ogino is cruelly murdered in his home during a party. As the heirs jockey for position, it becomes very clear that Japan is the Land of the Rising Son. Saxon, who narrowly escaped with his life at the party, is caught up in the family chaos and drawn into a relationship with the delectable Mitsu, bereaved daughter of Ogino. Problems multiply for the British golfer, but he continues to fly the flag bravely.