Chapter 3 When the Emperor Was Divine, pages 77-105 Summary

At the Topaz War Relocation Center in October of 1942 the days are warm, the nights are cold, and the dust storms last for days. The occasional snow and rain turns the camp to a muddy quagmire. The boy's boredom is broken by the occasional postcard from his father, and the boy thinks about how his father had promised to take him traveling and show him the world.

The camp abounds in rumors. With little else to do, some of the camp residents circulate rumors of others being informants, and one man is even beaten at night for being a suspected FBI informant. At night the boy talks to his mother about what she misses most. They discuss things like chocolate, fruit, shade, and how much they miss their home...