Genji Monogatari

Prince Genji grows up at court after losing his mother in childhood, carrying her absence into his later attachments. When the emperor marries Fujitsubo, whose appearance recalls the dead woman, Genji develops feelings for her that are inseparable from his enduring longing.

Beneath the court's poetry, elegance and quiet meetings, desire collides with rank and obligation. Genji moves through relationships without finding the peace he seeks, while his attachment to his father's wife remains a secret that threatens the fragile boundaries of courtly life.