In 1936, Mari Takiguchi leaves Japan's restrictive society to study geography in Hanoi, French Indochina. Through encounters with a foreign-ministry clerk, a trading-company man, and a military policeman, she confronts how colonial rule and war reshape people's lives.

A historical suspense novel in which Mari, determined to see the world as it truly is, seeks her own path in a Hanoi moving toward war.

In 1702, fraud flourishes in the principality of Neuenburg, where a large reward has been offered for the invention of a perpetual-motion machine. Mechanical examiner Theo Albert investigates the truth behind his father's execution on false charges while judging the authenticity of the machines, in this historical mystery.

Mechanical examiner Theo confronts fraud surrounding perpetual motion and the false accusation against his father.