The tranquility of the quiet community of Kabashiro was shattered when North Korean ballistic test missiles soared over its skies, sending residents of the small seaside town scrambling for cover. The excitement had barely died down after the all-clear signal when a pod of whales beach themselves on its shores. The indigenous Ainu inhabitants of the town saw all these as signs of the gods’ displeasure and when graves of their ancestors were disturbed, Ryohei feared the worst. But Kabashiro’s charismatic mayor has every reason to be optimistic; after all, he just pulled off a deal for a multi-billion dollar investment which promises thousands of jobs and the biggest ever economic windfall for the town. The Peridot Hokkaido Resort will be a feather in the cap for the prefecture’s young governor who some say may be Prime Minister of Japan one day. The tiny Ainu fraternity are less than enthusiastic though, as they’ve seen too many opportunities pass them by and their people continue to be left behind economically as the town prospered.Michiru is one young, bright hope for the Ainu People but her heart is set on leaving Kabashiro and her accursed Ainu heritage. Haru supports his sister’s ambitions for Tokyo but his affinity is to the land of their forefathers although he is unlikely to follow in the long line of the family’s artisanal fishing livelihood. Everything changed when it was discovered that the new resort will be built on sacred ancestral Ainu land which the government had previously pledged to return to the Ainu People. The feted American investor, Peridot Resorts LLC, and their local business partner, Toyodai, became pariahs overnight but the governor is determined to push through with development as the financial and political stakes are too high. The battle lines are drawn up where the minnow Ainus looked doomed to lose until the most unexpected saviour rose among their ranks. Aided by the invisible hands of unseen actors, the Ainus head for a showdown with the powers that be, but there may be more that meets the eye and it is unclear who’s friend and who’s foe.A quirky professor hailing from Virginia could unwittingly bring a beacon of hope for the Ainus as the wrath of the gods descend upon the town. With the eyes of the world focused on Kabashiro, deliverance is out of the Ainus’ own hands as the escalating events spirals towards a climatic end.
