Masuda wrote her autobiography between the years of 1956 and 1957 in response to a magazine ad for a non-fiction women's writing competition.

As a child, Masuda lived as a nurse-maid in a large farming household near Shiojiri, where she suffered under little food, poor sleeping quarters and frequent punishment.

Masuda initially spent most of her time looking after the owners' young children, but, after being caught taking melons from the field to feed herself, was forced into manual labour instead.

Masuda was also frequently mocked for her darker, sunburnt skin, as a paler complexion was considered beautiful, especially for a geisha to have.

It took several days to heal, nearly requiring amputation and ultimately leaving Masuda with a large scar that she was self-conscious of for the rest of her life.

Upon receiving a letter stating that he was leaving, Masuda once again attempted suicide by trying to drown herself; however, she was pulled out by someone who happened to be fishing nearby.

When she realized she needed to get money for the train fare, the only person she could get it from was Hii, who made her dance naked in return.

She and her brother joined a group of people foraging for food in the countryside to resell in the city, and there she met a Korean man who gave her another job selling soap.

His penicillin shots were 600 yen each, and Masuda soon realized that the only way to make enough money for them was to become a sex worker.

However, when elections for city council came near, at the urging of Motoyama's wife, Masuda left him to improve his chances of being reelected.

Masuda moved to Toyoshina, where Karuta had opened a restaurant, but her longing for Motoyama caused her to start uncontrollably drinking.

[2] In the English version of the book, G. G. Rowley wrote an afterword detailing her attempts to meet Masuda in person.

At the time of the English translation's publication in 2003, they had declined Rowley's request, saying that Masuda wished to keep as low a profile as possible.

When she found an abandoned six-month-old baby, she felt the desire to quickly kill it so it would not have to suffer a slow death or the ignominy of growing up without parents.

She stated that although no-one became a prostitute to enjoy it, it was merely human instinct to find a way to make a living when no other venues were open.