French silkworm trader Herv├® is married to the beautiful H├®l├¿ne. When an outbreak of disease ravages European silkworms, Herv├® must travel to Japan to retrieve healthy eggs. After a long journey, Herv├® finally arrives at a village where he can buy them. He becomes infatuated with a young concubine and goes to great lengths to see her again. But, when war breaks out in Japan, the concubine flees, forcing Herv├® to return home to his wife.
