Memoirs of a Geisha tells the fictinal story of Chiyo, a young girl, whose family, unable to support her, her to a geisha house in the city of during the 1930s. A geisha is a professional female companion for in Japan, trained in music, , and the art of conversation. The geisha training is a life of virtual slavery, and Chiyo finds herself working as to a malevolent geisha called who, jealous of Chiyo's beauty, makes her life utterly miserable. One day, as Chiyo weeps by a in the city, a wealthy man stops and comforts her. Chiyo, deeply moved by the man's kindness, knows that she will never forget him. Two years later, a geisha called , as kind as Hatsumomo is cruel, takes Chiyo under her wing. Chiyo, now renamed , becomes a successful geisha, renowned for her . Then one day she meets the man who had comforted her by the stream. But life does not run smoothly for Sayuri and there are powerful obstacles that prevent the two from coming together.