Twelve-year-old Yuki and her parents have just been released from Topaz, one of many concentration camps in which all west coast Japanese were imprisoned during World War II. Although they are welcomed by a loyal friend, Mrs. Jamieson, returning to Berkley is not easy. There are no houses to rent, Papa cannot find a job, and former friends have changed. In the climate of fear and distrust created by the war, many people had come to hate the Japanese, as Yuki and her family painfully learn.

Yuki's best friend, Emi, and her grandmother join them in trying to start a new life; so does old Mr. Oka, whom they meet in their makeshift lodgings. Their joint venture is almost destroyed by anti-Japanese violence, however, and, even the return of Yuki's brother Ken, wounded in the war, brings another disappointment. But eventually they find new hope and strengths in themselves, and Yuki discovers that coming home is a matter of the heart and spirit.

This warm and authentic story gives a sensitive glimpse into a tragic episode in our country's history. Yuki and her family and friends will remain in the reader's mind as immensely likeable and courageous people.

From the dust jacket