The year is 1701 early Japan. A Shogun Master named Tokugawa Tsunayoshi ruled the land. The story takes place through the eyes of a young boy. The boy's name is Jiro a servant to a samurai. He is known as "the fly" because of how he is an observer of the events around him. The book begins with Jiro's lord, Lord Asano killing himself by performing seppuku leaving all the samurai to become Ronin. A ronin is a samurai who has no master, ronin usually become thieves but if they were loyal to their master they perform seppuku.

After Lord Asano's death his castle was to be taken over by shogun warriors. The samurai were most worried about who was to be there master and how there remaining money was to be split among them. There was much fighting between the samurai over money and over loyalty to their master Asano. During this time Jiro became close to his master Oishi Kuranosuke who was the leader of the loyal samurai. Okajima Yasoemon was the leader of the disloyal samurai and wanted nothing to do with the revenge of his master.

The Shogun is given the castle but Lord Asano's samurai wanted revenge for their master. They gave a petition to the Shogun asking if their master's brother would become Lord over them so they could remain samurai and continue their lords name. This did not work and the samurai plotted to revenge their master. Jiro's Master planed to kill Kira the leader of the shogun. There were a little over 200 samurai under Lord Asano's rule but only forty-seven were loyal enough revenge there master. The forty-seven moved near a small village where they would begin their travel to Kira's castle.

They travel is going to be a long one and many things happen along the way. Most of this part of the book focuses on the individual towns they stop at and the differences Jiro sees in them. While in one of the towns two Shogun samurai search Jiro's master's things and they tell Jiro his master's life is in danger but he is also not worth anything and would be a fool for avenging the life of his master. There is a samurai Jiro becomes friends with Otaka Gengo. Otaka is outraged by the intrusion of the two-shogun samurai and fights them cutting the ear of both men. Through all this hard ship everyone is going though Jiro's Master gets divorced because his wife thinks of him as a fool for not taking a job with a new master. Life becomes very comfortable for Jiro because he becomes closer to his master.

They have been in Edo where Kira's Castle is for some time now and are waiting for word on whether or not Asano's brother will become lord. Asano's brother would not become lord. All the samurai gathered very pleased now that they would finally be able to avenge their Lord. The samurai where divided into four groups each with a leader. It was now winter when they were going to attack and was snowing out. The day of revenge it was Jiro's job to get his master dressed for the fight. They left early in the morning hoping to catch Kira off guard. The samurai where carrying spears, halberds and they where all wearing helmets and armor. The battle was a quick one they quickly knocked down the gate with a battering ram and stormed the mansion. They found Kira hiding in a closet and the samurai who found him chopped off his head. All of the samurai cheered for there victory. None of the samurai lost their lives and only two had been wounded. Kira's Head was placed in Asano's Tomb and all forty-seven samurai preformed seppuku outside their master's tomb. Jiro got a new master Chikamatsu. A rich man he promised to take good care of Jiro and that concludes the story.

I liked this book because I find Japanese customs interesting and this book showed the harshness these customs. I find it hard to believe that so many people would be willing to take there own life just because there masters was taken but on the other hand I find it very honorable at the same time. I liked how the story was told also being through the eyes of a servant boy, but this left out some details because most of what he knew was from what he had heard from others. In conclusion I give this book a five star rating and recommend you read it.