In 1861 French silkworm merchant Herve Joncour travels to Japan, where he encounters the mysterious Hara Kei. He develops a painful longing for Kei's beautiful concubine - but they cannot touch; they don't even speak. And he cannot read the note she sends him until he has returned to his own country.

But the moment he does, Joncour is enslaved. Subtle, tender and surprising, Silk is an evocative tale of erotic possession.