When Evan's father dies suddenly, Evan finds a hand-bound yellow book on his father's desk, a diary of a Japanese soldier stranded on a Pacific Island during World War II. What is in this account that Evan's grandfather, Griff, whom Evan has never met before, fears so much that he will do anything to prevent its being seen? And what could this possibly mean for Evan? As the story shifts between suburban Ontario and the horror of the desert island, tragedy and healing are put into play.