In 1941, Chester Nakayama finds himself caught between his insular Japanese American neighborhood on Terminal Island, California, and his current life as an all-American guy. When extreme circumstances push both his community and personal life to the brink, Chester must grapple with what kind of a man he wants to be, all while someone watches closely.

After Pearl Harbor, the Terminal Islanders are evicted from their homes and must find shelter elsewhere. While Henry, separated from his family, faces injustice at the hands of the government, Chester engages in a paranoid search for answers.

As the Terminal Islanders adjust to their new surroundings, Chester tries to provide for his family, while fending off the evil that follows him. Henry reels from the trauma of his imprisonment. Asako sees bad omens. Amy takes up a new job.

Chester, in search of a better life, is treated with hostility by his fellow Americans; Luz hopes to be accepted by Henry and Asako in their new home as the Japanese American community celebrates Obon, a festival to commemorate the dead.

The Japanese Americans are forced to undertake a humiliating exercise that divides the community; Chester comes face to face with a man who forces him to question his very nature; Luz, stricken by grief, is forced to make an important choice.

The Nakayamas have been torn apart; Chester searches for the person he believes can help, by any means necessary; an outbreak in the community forces Amy to act, though she's caught between doing what she's told and doing what's right.

Chester and Luz have reached a turning point in their relationship; Amy must take matters into her own hands as she's tormented by a powerful nemesis; Chester meets a boy who gives him answers.

The Terminal Islanders return home to find that things have changed since they left; the Nakayamas, still tense from the pain they've inflicted on one another, must come together to battle the spirit that threatens their future.

Henry and Asako look to the past to provide answers to their current turmoil; Chester and Luz grapple with their identities in hopes of saving those who are dearest to them; Amy and Yamato-san struggle to once again assimilate into American life.