In 1959 when her mother dies, twelve-year-old Ayumi leaves her home in Japan to find her American father. Biracial, she is confronted with a resentful half-sister and a racist stepmother. She wants to be accepted by her new family, but how much of her true self must she give up? Ayumi's only solace is her music. When she is deprived of her violin, she shocks even herself by doing the unthinkable.

Aritomo Genji, a twelve-year-old heir to a samurai lord, training to become a warrior, yearns to fight against his family's archenemy, the Kuroda clan. But he and his loyal dog, Tama, are sent away on a ship to keep them safe. After the ship sinks in a typhoon, and they're rescued by Kuroda soldiers, Aritomo must pretend to be an orphaned peasant. As reward for saving the life of Lord Kuroda's daughter, Aritomo and Tama live in the enemy's castle where they become friends with the girl. When Aritomo learns of a plot to massacre his clan, he must choose between saving his family and staying...