This is the story of the extinction of the once rich and haughty sis-ters of a great family through pride and over refinement, and a re-creation of the sumptuous, pleasure-filled upper-class life of Osaka just before the war. Tsuruko, the oldest sister, uncompromising,unadaptable, worn down by money troubles and a large family, is forced to move to the competitive world of Tokyo where the Makioka name means nothing. The second sister, Sachiko, is a woman of rare kindness and good sense, who tries her best to hold the family together and to preserve the wonderful life they knew as children. The central theme of the book is finding a husband forYukiko, the third sister. She has all the accomplishments of an ele-gant Japanese lady, yet she finds the strength to refuse a long line of suitors. Taeko, the youngest sister, is a modern girl who tries to break away ti'om her family and to establish herself in a career. She has a series of love affairs, bears a child, and ends up as the wife of a bartender. The Makioka Sists is at once a work of art and a unique record of a period and a district.