After Commodore Perry forcibly opened Japan to trade in 1853, the Japanese responded as if they had been waiting for this event, and sent sons from prominent families to study abroad and learn how, for instance, a navy, an army, or an international trading company might be set up. European models were adopted for everything from education and shipbuilding to the organization of the military - even the nation's constitution. In this German/Japanese co-production, set in 1885, a young Japanese man has come to Germany for just that purpose. However, he gets involved with a dancer and neglects his studies. His mother (who is the person a Japanese boy must answer to) learns of this, and attempts suicide. He must now return home to Japan in some disgrace, and leave his now pregnant lady-love behind.
by Clarke Fountain
synopsis
