<p>Tomi was born in Hawaii. His grandfather and parents were born in Japan and came to America to escape poverty.</p><p>World War II seems far away from Tomi and his friends who are too busy playing ball on their eighth-grade team the Rats.</p><p>But then Pearl Harbor is attacked by the Japanese and the United States declares war on Japan. Japanese men are rounded up and Tomi's father and grandfather are arrested. It's a terrifying time to be Japanese in America. But one thing doesn't change: the loyalty of Tomi's buddies the Rats.</p>