The final days of World War II. Manchuria. Japanese invaders are retreating under the pressure of Chinese forces.
Japanese settlers face a terrible death. Sixteen-year-old Tatsuru miraculously manages to survive, but her life is bitter: human traffickers sell the girl to a childless Chinese family. Having even lost her own name, Tatsuru becomes the concubine of the family head and the secret mother of his children.
“The Little Crane,” a story unfolding during the turbulent years of Mao Zedong’s rule—this is a novel about courage, love, and about the fact that people can remain human in the harshest conditions.