Based on a true story of events during World War II in Los Angeles China City, a 12-year-old Chinese American girl named Mei Ling Lee loses her best friend Yayeko Akiyama when she and her family were interned in the Manzanar War Relocation Center. By writing letters to each other, both young girls recount their painful separation and their lives in China City and Manzanar. The 44-page book is full of vivid watercolor paintings and depicts the hardships and cross-cultural experiences of Americans of Chinese and Japanese ancestry during the war years. Close to 50 never-before-published paintings and historical photographs of China City are presented. The book is available in English, bilingual English/Chinese and bilingual English/Japanese.