Deep in the windswept marshes of war-torn medieval Japan, an impoverished older woman and her daughter-in-law murder lost samurai and sell their belongings for the most meager of sustenance. When a bedraggled neighbor returns from battle, lust, jealousy, and rage threaten to destroy the trio's tenuous existence before an ominous, ill-gotten demon mask seals their horrifying fate. Driven by primal emotions, dark eroticism, a frenzied score by Hikaru...

"Four linked stories portray young women who doggedly apply themselves to their work in the face of difficult personal relationships and tough economic conditions, determined to carve out a better life for themselves. The title story tells of an unusual relationship between the 23-year-old narrator, Michiko Sawada, and her 45-year-old boss, Atsuko ("Akko") Kurokawa, a highly capable manager and the department's only female worker with 'regular employee'...