Riko Nishioka is assistant manager of the flagship Pegasus bookstore in Kichijoji. After working her way up from a part-time position, she is now, aged forty, a respected figure in the Japanese publishing industry. But she has a nemesis.

Aki Kitamura, twenty-seven, has waltzed in as a full-time employee thanks to her family connections. A free spirit with a rebellious streak and a silver spoon in her mouth, she's anything but a team player.

The two are always clashing - both at work and over their personal lives. But when Riko is given notice that the store will be closing in six months' time, they face a stark choice.

Can they put their petty enmities aside to boost sales and save their livelihoods or will they go down fighting . . . each other?