The Red Kerchief

Red Kerchief synopsis
by Rebecca Helton
When Taro Hitomi’s life and family are devastated by bandits, she finds herself dealing with life for a time with only her faithful dog Maeko at her side. She has no way of knowing that her beloved Kisho, a young samurai, has left the capitol, Kyoto and is traveling across Japan’s countryside to reach her. She hides in a cave under a waterfall near her home and tries to find a reason to keep going.

When the bandits return, Maeko manages to frighten them away, and ends up with a red kerchief from one. This red kerchief convinces Hitomi that the kitsune, the messengers of the goddess Inare, are protecting her and Maeko. That conviction leads her to the fear that she is carrying the child of a bandit and at that point, life becomes too much for her and she tries to kill herself.

Kisho arrives in time to save her, but when she awakes, he finds she has retreated into the past where it is safe. He takes her to his parents’ estate. Kisho’s love alone does not reach through her shell to save her. Still, with the help of a young man in his brother’s employ, he fights for a future for them, determined to make life with Hitomi a reality.
This love story is intersected by the love story brought to Japan by Father Francis Xavier. Kisho hears this story in Kyoto, and is confronted by his words everywhere he goes,

He is confused by the Kristian’s message, and wants to ignore him. Instead, he discovers he must choose between the future his family envisioned for him and the future he is finding for himself as well as choosing between the faith he grew up with and this faith of love offered by the man with the round eyes in the hopes that his choices will bring Hitomi back to him.