Summary

Donnie and Peg are now ten and eight years old. The family also has a golden retriever named Max. The family lives in a single family home in Japantown in San Jose. Frank has been promoted at his job. Jiro and Nisha are back in Japan, and Akira was beaten by Japanese soldiers in war because he could not make himself shoot at American troops. Ralph is in college.

One day Ruth receives a letter from Rachel Utagawa who she learns is her mother. The letter was sent to Taizo and Etsuko, but Ruth opens it because Etsuko is not home, and she believes it may be bad news because it is from Hawai’i. In it, Rachel asks for news about Ruth and tells the couple that she is not trying to usurp their place in Ruth’s life. Ruth does...