The Thousand Autumns of Jacbob de Zoet

Jacob de Zoet is the young son of a minister in Zeeland. In 1799, he signs up with the  Dutch East India Company as a clerk for the small island Decima, just off the Japanese coast near Nagasaki. It is an isolated trading post, the only one where the Japanese rulers allow any Westerners - the Dutch - to conduct business.
Jacob has to proof the corruption of the previous chief, which does not help his reputation among his fellow countrymen. His attempts at befriending the Japanese do not go very smoothly either, since Japanese social customs impose strict rules on the interaction with foreigners.
He falls in love with a Japanese girl and comes into close contact with the dark side of Japanese society – so close that it jeopardizes his safety.