Jack, separated from his firends after the events of the previous book, has to travel the last stretch of his journey to Nagasaki, where he hopes to find a European ship that can take him back to England. Of course, the persecution against foreigners in general and against him in particular continues, and his former school mate and rival, Kazuki, is in charge of the hunt.

At this point in the series, everyone knows what to expect. Adventures, dangers and friendship, without too much depth but entertaining enough. I think I have mentioned in my reviews of previous books in the series that, after Jack left the samurai school, the series has gone on a bit too long, but here we finally get some resolution. The fate of the different characters is decided, and I can't say more to avoid spoilers. There is one book more in the series, but the story of Jack in Japan concludes here. ( )