Part of Nikkatsu’s “Roman Porno” series (movies with taboo-breaking simulated sex but heartfelt, authentic storylines), it’s widely considered to be among the best Japanese films of the 1970s. Shortly after the Russo-Sino War, an established geisha entertains a new customer––and, against the rules, falls in love with him. As Japanese imperial ambitions in the region grow, her fellow geisha embark on a host of different relationships with new clients, reflecting and criticizing the era’s politics.