In November 1917, Hana Omiya sails from Japan to America. Hana is a 21-year-old woman who has been married off to a 31-year-old Japanese man in Oakland, California, named Taro Takeda.

Through a flashback, the reader learns of Hana and Taro’s courtship. One day, Hana’s uncle lamented that Taro—the son of a family friend—was living alone after emigrating to America. Hana volunteered to marry Taro, hoping to avoid ordinary village life. Hana and Taro began sending each other letters and photos. Hana noted that Taro’s writing was unemotional, and she struggled to fully characterize him. Still, the two agreed to marry each other without meeting in person.

Before arriving in California, Hana spends several days at a checkpoint called Angel Island. Immigrant officers question her and give her medical tests. Taro meets Hana at the San Francisco port. Hana is surprised to find that he is older and more unattractive than she was led to believe. The pair travels by boat from San Francisco to Oakland. While she is not yet fully at ease with Taro, she begins to feel more excited about the prospect of marriage and a new life in America.