"We are accustomed to hearing about a gender gap in politics. The low representation of women in elected office is well-documented and typically attributed to institutional barriers, discrimination, and differences in political ambition due to socialized gender norms. The problem with this narrative, as Kaitlin Sidorsky observes, is that it leaves out political appointment as an alternative path to public service. More women participate in politics...

11th century government official Sugawara Akitada discovers an abandoned, mute boy, and seeks his family while his faithful servant Tora tries to deal with the loss of his new bride to a powerful man. Eventually their two quests overlap.

The capital is plagued by unexplained fires, and panic threatens to break out, but Akitada has his own problems to worry about. His ailing wife expects a child and he loses his job to a political appointee. When he tries to confront the nobleman who is responsible for his dismissal, he ends up suspected of his murder. With no income and a growing family to support, Akitada desperately plunges into the investigation of this crime and a search for...