Ryuichi Okagawa is a Japanese writer who worked as a reporter in China and has been sick ever since his return home While in China, Okagawa had met a devoutly religious girl named Jin Hua Okagawa was born with a predisposition to agonizing recurrent migraines, but found happiness with Jin Hua and married her Unfortunately, he already had a wife in Japan, and this revelation crushed Jin Hua When Okagawa returned home, leaving Jin Hua behind, she was forced to work as a prostitute, catching both a severe case of the flu and a rather less socially acceptable condition Meanwhile, Okagawas guilt has torn him apart enough for him to return to China in an attempt to bring Jin Hua home with him to get medical attention, but the girl is already too far gone for his help