Explorer-photographer Felice Beato (Johan Leysen) narrates this romantic drama of lost love in the form of a letter to his brother in Holland. Beato has returned to Japan in search of O-Kiku (Kumi Nakamura), the mail-order bride he abandoned six years previous. Their former home is deserted, so Beato sets out on a frustrating journey across the countryside. Filmed entirely in an Amsterdam studio, the film uses 19th-century hand-tinted photos by Felice Beato, Baron von Stilfried, Hikoma Ueno, and Renmjo Shimooka. Shown at the 1998 Rotterdam Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi