Summer after summer, Lin returns to his village for a divorce in his loveless marriage to Shuya, waiting to marry the woman he really loves, Manna. The rule is that after 18 years of living separately and refraining from relations, a man can divorce his wife. Manna waits patiently while Lin continues to get denied over the years, and we see what waiting does to those who struggle and those who delight in it.

This book was a bit of a tough read due to some subject matter (there is a rape in the story), but the character development of all the people involved in these relationships of waiting was lovely.