American Bob Lee Swagger and Japanese Philip Yano are connected by one episode from the past - the moment when their fathers met in the bloody massacre on the island of Iwo Jima in 1945. Of the two, only Swagger's father survived. Many years later, Philip Yano turns to Bob with a request to return the combat sword of officer Hideki Yano, apparently given to the winner of that battle. Finding the sword. Bob flies to Japan to personally return it to the Japanese, and together they try to find out the past of this weapon, which turns out to be ancient and probably very valuable. Returning home, Bob learns from a news report at the airport that his new friend's house has burned down and the whole family has died. And the ancient sword disappeared without a trace.