In 1903 Mary Mackenzie sails

for China to marry the British military attaché, a man who turns out to be every bit as chilly as the Peking winter. During one of his many absences, Mary has an affair with a Japanese soldier, Count Kurihama, but her pregnancy by him is impossible to keep secret.

Rejected by her husband, mother and country, and forced to leave her daughter behind, Mary flees to Japan. The Ginger Tree tells the fascinating story of her survival, isolated and alone, in this alien culture.