“Old Sam” Omura, a Japanese American veteran of World War II, is alone in his apartment when he receives news of the death of his teacher and friend, Gloria, with whom he hasn’t spoken for over fifty years.  When Gloria’s spirit pays him a visit, she leads Old Sam to re-live the turbulent events that led to his family’s evacuation from their home and store in Salinas, California to the wastelands of Wyoming in the Heart Mountain internment camp. (“Shikataganai”)  Sent with Sam are his father Tatsuo, his mother Kimiko, and older brother James, who was engaged to Gloria. 

Eager to find his purpose and a platform for his ideas, Sam joins the camp paper, the Heart Mountain Sentinel, run by the camp’s director, Bill Campbell, in conjunction with the Japanese American Citizen League and its National Secretary, Mike Masaoka. (“See Something in Me”) Gloria reminds Sam of the importance of fortitude and community in time of adversity, (“Gaman”) but Sam’s editorials, which call for patriotism and rededication to America to demonstrate Japanese American loyalty, rub many in camp wrong, including Sam’s father. (“Better Americans”) After an incident causes Sam to be suspended from the paper, he works tirelessly to bring the camp together and prove himself within the community. (“Count on Me”) Meanwhile, Sam’s friendship with Campbell’s daughter, Hannah, develops into a forbidden romantic interest.

Concerned about rising resentment, the government distributes a questionnaire to all internees, asking all to repledge their loyalty to America. Tatsuo’s fateful answers to the questionnaire (“Allegiance”) set into motion events (“The Mountain’s Heart”, “You’re in Paradise”) that end tragically for the Omura family, and put Young Sam at a crossroad. (“Show the way”)