A woman writes of a quest, not hers but a friend's. This friend is looking for a man she knew many years ago. He was born in Hokkaido in 1913. He was a Christian and was active with the Young Men's Christian Association. He traveled widely in foreign countries in connection with that work.

Several times he was picked up for questioning by the Japanese police during the days leading up to World War II. During one questioning, he lost the ability to hear in one ear. By chance, he was in the United States when Pearl Harbor was bombed and was held for a while at a military installation until he was released because of the number of American friends who vouched for him. Later, in cooperation with the Federal Council of Churches, he was active in helping Japanese resettle in New York. His wife's name was Emma and his sons were called Teddy and Jim in the U.S. He wrote a book, "A Brother is a Stranger," with an introduction by Pearl Buck. After the war he returned to Japan, where he taught English on Japanese radio.

It was then that she lost touch with her friend. She heard that he probably died during the 1960s. She has never forgotten him. He was instrumental in her life because he introduced her to a different way of viewing the world around her as well as making it possible for her to develop close friendships with many Japanese people. She adds that she was working at a factory after high school when they first met and without his encouragement she would never have gone to college. Now she wonders how he spent his later years and what happened to his family. She heard one of the sons had some connection with Meiji Gakuen.