The novel opens with a flashback to Tyaga's first meeting with Mr. Bledsoe on his 199th birthday. The two of them have been longing for each other's company ever since they met, and Tyaga explains that the first thing he remembers about her is that she was beautiful and graceful. He tells her that he cannot dance with her because he can't speak the language of flowers, but he promises to teach her how to do so. They make a drink together, which is called "tyaga" . The narrator explains that it is a fragrant drink made from goat milk and tea, and that it has a sweet taste. He says that it was the "first time ever" that he felt such an attraction toward a woman, and he realizes that his purpose for living is to meet her. He goes to find her, but she is already in ruins. He searches everywhere for her but cannot find her. Ten years later, they receive a tip that there is a place in a mountain where the Bai family used