Paris, 1865-Claude Monet lives a carefree bohemian lifestyle with his other renegade artist friends. Excited about his first painting accepted to the renowned Paris Salon, the last thing on this struggling young artist's mind is falling in love. That is until he experiences living art in the form of a Japanese princess, Yuria Shibata. A noblewoman from Japan's cloistered imperial court, Yuria accompanies her samurai father as part of a diplomatic mission to France. Serving the Sh¿gun, she also never expects to fall in love. As their hearts collide, love's lightning bolt strikes them both. But tragically, their love is not to be, as Yuria, bound by duty and honor, must return to Japan-their lives forever changed. America, present day-Julia Tanaka, a fifth-generation Japanese American, knows little of her heritage until dissatisfaction with her career path in medicine brings her to a therapist's office. The doctor's suggestion that, "We don't know where we are going until we know where we've come from," sets Julia on a journey of family and self-discovery. When her Grandmama unlocks the trunk of family secrets, Julia is thrust into ancestral mysteries, uncovering a lost love story that reshapes her understanding of who she is and what she truly wants. Meanwhile, Oscar Miller believes he has his life on a straight path-until the night he finds his fiancé in the arms of his best friend. When he turns to his mother for guidance, he learns an earth-shattering truth: the man who raised him is not his biological father. With his identity suddenly fractured, Oscar embarks on his own journey of discovery. As Julia and Oscar's lives intersect, their individual searches for truth become deeply connected, revealing the mystery of where unfulfilled love goes. A gold pocket watch, a water-lily hairpin, and a love that traverses generation paints this beautiful canvas of a love story. What love has bound together, even time cannot unbind. Spanning two timelines, 1865 France and present-day America, this sweeping story of forbidden love, self-discovery, and destiny takes readers on an unforgettable journey through history, art, and the power of love.