A young artist travels into the mountains, in search of the refreshments of nature. Staying at a small hot-spring hotel, he soaks in the water and takes walks nearby, always intending to do some painting - though he never seems to get around to it. Instead, he finds himself transfixed by the daughter of the hotel owner, an enigmatic young beauty.
His preoccupation is neither romantic nor sexual, but aesthetic: why is he so drawn to O-Nami's changeable face, now hostile, now serene? And what prevents him finally putting brush to paper and painting her portrait? As the holiday goes on, these two circle each other, pursuing barbed yet friendly conversations about art and despair.
One of the foundational classics of modern Japanese literature, The Three-Cornered World is a masterful exploration of the beauty of nature, the artist's temperament and the hidden springs of human sympathy.
