The author, Nagai Kafu, worked as an editor of literary magazines before deciding to write novels and investigate Tokyo's geisha world.

Having left the pleasure quarters to live in the countryside, she returns several years later because her husband has died, leaving her to fend for herself.

After a performance, Yoshioka's first mistress, Rikiji, seeks her revenge on Komayo by introducing Segawa to a wealthy former geisha, Kimiryu.

The mother of her okiya dies, and her husband, Old Gozan, recognizes his inability to continue the house on his own; he passes it on to Komayo.

Throughout the novel, the theme that a geisha should not fall in love – as she will be taken advantage of for her loyalty – becomes evident; at the time of Kafu's writing, geisha were well-known as emblems of loyal female companionship and love, and featured in many popular stories as loyal partners whose affections ran true.

It is hard for a geisha who is so dependent on men to not eventually fall in love, but it is this detachment in itself that will ultimately lead to her independence.