The narrative follows the life of a cultured court prince whose romantic attachments, rivalries, and family relationships unfold across an episodic sequence of chapters. It charts his early favor and exile, memorable liaisons, the adoption and upbringing of a cherished young woman, and later decades marked by loss and shifting power. Rich in seasonal imagery, poetry, ritual, and subtle psychological observation, the prose traces how beauty, longing, and impermanence shape personal destiny and social bonds.