Four generations of Japanese American women make  their home in a large house in San Francisco,  united by the obligations of family and tradition and,  perhaps, by love. In alternating chapters, the  four women--Reiko, Rio, Tomoe, and Nomi Hito--speak  with unflinching honesty about their lives, the  secrets that have separated mother and daughter, and  the fierce ties of intimacy that form an  inextricable bridge between them.With the touch and power  of a master storyteller, Julie Shigekuni gracefully  interweaves four distinctive voices to shape a  moving story of love and the courage it requires. In  baring the heart of one family, she illuminates  the truths about families, real and imagined, we all  create.