1) Memoirs of a Geisha is narrated by Sayuri, who recounts her life story as a geisha in Kyoto, Japan from 1929. 2) As a child, Sayuri is taken from her home and sold into slavery to become a geisha. She describes the lavish but restrictive world of the geisha houses and districts. 3) Through Sayuri's eyes, the reader sees the changing tides of history, from the decadence of pre-war Kyoto to the hardships of WWII and Sayuri's struggle for independence after the geisha houses close.