Set in 1942, this story starts after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, when anti-Japanese sentiment was building. As rumors of evacuation swirl around Japantown neighborhood in San Francisco, we meet a group of friends. Questions abound - who will they take? where will they go? and mostly, why will they have to go, when they are Americans too.

They are eventually all forcibly removed from their homes, and their friend group manages to stay in tact in the camps. But soon camp policies start to splinter them off - loyalty questions, being asked to serve a country that has incarcerated them because of their ethnicity, being released and moving away, heading off to war. As we know from history, the camps were disbanded in December 1944 and camp residents can leave. Some of the group find their way back to Japantown, where the story all began. But the neighborhood has changed, and so have they.

This is a work of fiction, but it is based on the experiences of Chee's own grandparents. Chee includes Author Notes, which includes discussion of the language of this historical event and makes connections to present day. A list of sources for further reading will be appreciated by readers interested in learning more about this part of our history. Highly recommended for readers grade 7 and up.