"The world is not beautiful. And that, in a way, lends it a sort of beauty." This is the story of a young traveler named Kino and Kino's partner, the talking motorcycle Hermes. They travel to various places together, visiting such worlds as "the world of caring" and "the world of decisions by majority." They stay at each of these locations for only three days, and throughout the story, their point of view is consistently that of bystanders. The experiences that people have encountering Kino and Hermes during their travels may not seem very sensational to their ordinary everyday lives, but in reality, they can come to have a tremendous impact. --What will Kino and Hermes come to realize during their journey? --And what will be left behind in the hearts of those that they meet?