Pearl lands at a Jesuit mission and is magnetized to the etheral missionary Usui. After she is forced to leave, she finds herself thrown unprepared into the complicated world of Japanese culture, where she must learn to maneuver friendships, understand love, and handle the intensity of being a journalist at one of the city's largest newspapers. When she stumbles upon Usui living as a homeless man, a journey begins that draws her deep into Japan's hidden homeless underworld. Having given up any connection to civilization to "find himself," Usui brings Pearl face to face with her own homelessness and challenges her to begin the painful journey of understanding her visions and finding herself. In the end, hope flies on the paper wings of thousands of origami cranes. Pearl is called to own her mysticism, not just for herself, but for a world where the loss of magic may well be the real threat.