The following version of this book was used to create this guide: Tan, Shaun. The Arrival. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2007.

The novel’s plot is defined entirely through visuals, as the narrative is wordless. Tan’s graphics reflect a realistic art style, and are set in tones of brown, sepia, and gold, black, and grey. In the opening of the novel, the readers are presented a nameless man living in a nameless country, which appears to be set in modern time.

The man exits his home alongside his wife and daughter, and the three walk towards a train station. In the background, large spiked tentacles loom over the city. The daughter gazes upwards with a look of concern, so the man makes her an origami bird to console her. He then shares a heartfelt goodbye with both his wife and daughter, and boards the train alone.

The man travels on a ship across the sea, alongside hundreds of other refugees. The ship eventually reaches a new country, where the man is to make his home. He waits in a lengthy line before entering the city gates, meanwhile noticing that the signs around him are all written in a language he cannot understand. Eventually both the man’s suitcase and body are searched. He then goes through the monotonous process of filling out paperwork until he is finally given his own personal file.

The man quickly realizes that since he cannot speak the city’s language, he cannot communicate with any of its people. However, with the help of some drawings in his notebook, the man is able to find someone who can show him where an apartment complex is. The man eagerly secures a room for himself.

Inside of his new apartment, the man notices a jar in the middle of the room. He opens it to find a large mouse-like creature resting inside. The creature begins following the man around, but he does not pay it much mind.

As the man sets out to do some shopping, the creature continues to follow him. The man meets a kind woman along the way, who reveals that she is also an immigrant. When she was younger, she was forced into child slavery, working as a stoker aboard a train. However, she was able to sneak away and read at night, as she was desperate to receive an education.

At the grocery store, the man meets another immigrant. This man, who is the grocer, reveals that his country was ravaged by giant men with flamethrowers. He fled from the destruction with his wife through an underground tunnel system, and managed to escape his country on a rowboat.

The next day, the man begins looking for a job with the creature faithfully at his side. He is at first rejected by many people, but is eventually able to find some work. However, because of the language barrier between the man and the townspeople, he makes many mistakes and is fired. In the end, the man is able to secure a job working at a factory alongside many other immigrants. The work is tedious, but the man is quickly able to befriend one of the other factory workers.

The man’s new friend, an elderly factory worker, shares his experience as a refugee. When he was much younger, the factory worker was a soldier. After fighting in many battles, he was left with dead comrades, an amputated leg, and a destroyed village.

Later, the man writes a letter to his family. He puts an origami bird into the envelope, along with some money. At least two years pass after this moment, as it is now winter. The man looks out his window to see a floating compartment in the sky, which is carrying his wife and daughter. The family comes together in one huge, happy embrace.

The novel closes as the man now lives in his new country alongside his family. The creature and the daughter become fast friends, as they run around in the snow together. While the daughter is outside, she sees a young woman staring confusedly at a map. The daughter offers the young woman her assistance, calling to mind all of those who helped her father when he first migrated to the country.