The midnight hour approaches in an almost empty 24-hour diner. Mari sips her coffee and looks up from a book as a young man, a musician, intrudes upon her solitude. Both have missed the last train home. The musician plans to rehearse all night with his jazz band, while Mari is equally unconcerned and content to read, smoke, and drink coffee until dawn. Murakami, the celebrated master of the surreal, returns with a stunning new novel in which the familiar can become strange after midnight, even for those who thrive in the early morning hours. With "After Dark," we journey beyond twilight. Strange nighttime events or a trick of the night?

The musician intends to rehearse all night with his jazz band, and Mari is just as unconcerned and content to read, smoke, and drink coffee until dawn. They discover that they are connected through Eri, Mari's sister.