Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Centre convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, who she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking.
She refuses to speak with the press, until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew and Kajii can't resist writing back.
Rika, the only woman in her news office, rarely cooks more than ramen. But as her visits to Kajii unfold, they become something closer to a masterclass in food than journalistic research. With each meal Rika eats at Kajii's urging. something is awakening in her body. Could she and Kajii have more in common than she once thought?
Inspired by the real case of the convicted con woman and serial killer "The Konkatsu Killer', this is a vivid, unsettling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.