Shimamura are obiceiul de a se retrage iarna intr-o micuta statiune montana, lasand in urma agitatia capitalei si viata de familie. Aici, in "tara zapezilor", o intalneste pe tanara gheisa Komako, a carei franchete deconcertanta este pe punctul de a-i tulbura barbatului echilibrul. Osciland intre afectiunea fatisa si neconditionata a gheisei si farmecul misterios al tacutei Yoko, al carei chip il desluseste fugar, Shimamura este mereu un om al inactiunii, iar pasivitatea lui o condamna pe Komako sa ramana prinsa fara scapare in paienjenisul relatiilor si obligatiilor din tara zapezilor. Shimamura has the habit of retreating to a small mountain resort in the winter, leaving behind the hustle and bustle of the capital and family life. Here, in the "land of snow", he meets the young geisha Komako, whose disconcerting frankness is on the verge of disturbing the man's balance. Oscillating between the geisha's open and unconditional affection and the mysterious charm of the silent Yoko, whose face he fleetingly glimpses, Shimamura is always a man of inaction, and his passivity condemns Komako to remain trapped without escape in the web of relationships and obligations in the land of snow.
