Suna no Ue no Koibitotachi

In the midst of the desert lies Afdal, an oasis city ruled by the Raun family. A young foreigner named Johan arrives friendless and penniless, only to be taken in by Asad, the head of the Raun family, as a servant. After being tormented for his foreign looks, Johan becomes the personal servant of the seemingly unfriendly Asad.

Elsewhere, Matal and Shams, sons of branch families of the ruling clan, once promised to forget an incident at an oasis when they were young. But when Shams becomes engaged, both find they can no longer pretend it never happened. Meanwhile, Sakul, the second son of the first wife of the Raun family head, lacks confidence as he is belittled by his half-brothers, relying on his loyal servant Fahad for support.

In the past in Japan, the young lord of the Minister of the Center lived with his servant, Masasuke. As children they were close friends, but once they reached adulthood, Masasuke distanced himself. The young lord, frustrated, lashes out at the source of his frustrations.