Chapter 1 Evacuation Order No. 19 Summary

When the Emperor Was Divine tells the story of a Japanese-American family from Berkeley, California that was forced to relocate during World War II. The story begins in the spring of 1942 as the family is preparing to report for internment.

Signs have begun appearing all over town instructing people of Japanese descent that they must prepare to be relocated. After the first time a woman sees a notice, she goes home to pack. She is still packing nine days later. Storefronts are being boarded up, and newspapers deliver reports of the ongoing war.

The woman visits the hardware store, and the owner compliments her on her new glasses. The woman asks about buying a large hammer, but the store does not stock any hammers larger than what she already owns. The woman and the owner make small...