Snow Country & Thousand Cranes

So this short novel doesn't spell it all out for you. It takes some teasing, and the introduction read before and after the novel joined some dots.
The tale of a wealthy man from Tokyo (Shimamura), who need not work, but is a self appointed expert on Western Ballet, and his love affair with a hot springs geisha (Komako) in 'snow country' - the western coast of Japans main island where heavy snows characterise the area. He makes trips once or twice a year for a number of years throughout the story.In his first visit to the town, Shimamura is fascinated with a girl he sees on the train, a young girl named Yoko who is caring for a sick man traveling with her. Through Komako he is drawn to Yoko, who in some unexplained way is nursing Kamoko's almost-fiance. (I know - its confusing.) Often drunk Kamoko is forever changing her mind, one minute leaving the next staying, and constantly jealous of Yoko, although Shimamura has almost little to do with her. The constant jealousy of Kamoko seems to have the effect of pushing him towards Yoko, and although he never gets there, he is continually drawn to her.
So now that I have written that, I guess I need to put it in a spoiler, as it basically outlines the plot, but then, so does the summary on the inside cover, and the introduction...