The novel is set on San Piedro Island off the coast of Washington in the year 1954. It is a place of "five thousand damp souls" (5). Kabuo Miyamoto, a member of the island's Japanese-American community, is on trial for the murder of Carl Heine, a fellow fisherman. Heine's boat was found drifting one morning, with his body entangled in a net. While the death initially appeared accidental, bits of circumstantial evidence that seemed to implicate Kabuo Miyamoto accumulated. Etta Heine, Carl's mother, unjustly cheated Kabuo's family out of some land during the war while the Miyamotos were incarcerated in a "relocation camp" in California. This provided motive for the apparent murder. Also, Carl's traumatic head wound appeared suggestive of a Japanese kendo blow

Ignorance seems to be the clue to almost all of the occurrences of racism in the novel. During Kabuo's trial, he chose to keep quiet instead of sticking up for himself because in his religion, it was better to die with honor. The white people did not understand his silence, so they chose to interpret it as admission of guilt. Also, Kabuo knew that "they're going to want to see me hang no matter what the truth is.... They hate anyone who looks like the soldiers they fought" (391). That quote seemingly holds a lot of truth. Much of World War II was waged against Germany, and their persecution of the Jews. Ironically, the most vocal bigot in this story (Etta Heine) is not only of German descent, but was actually born in Germany. Yet, there appears to be no prejudice against Germans on San Piedro Island as a result of the War. This provides a strong argument to the idea that white people were racist towards Japanese people also because physically they looked different. In all of World War II, no person of Japanese ancestry living in the United States, Alaska, or Hawaii was ever charged with any act of espionage or sabotage. This fact is at very least disturbing. Because of the internment camps, Hatsue and Kabuo are forced to spent their wedding night in a public room with only a curtain, and a radio to stop the details of their evening from traveling through the thin walls. They have no choice on what to wear, eat, or do.

It is not only the Japanese who remember the horrors of the camps and the war. Ishmael Chambers, the embittered war veteran who runs the San Piedro Review lost his childhood love when the Japanese were herded up and taken to the internment camps. Ishmael is not an objective witness however. He grew up with Carl and Kabuo. He lost an arm in Tarawa to Japanese machinegun fire. Most important, Hatsue was Ishmael's boyhood love and it is apparent throughout the book that he has nev

Some common words found in the essay are:
Ishmael Chambers, San Piedro, David Guterson, , Heine Carl's, Piedro Island, Hatsue Kabuo, Hatsue Ishmael's, Carl Heine, Kabuo Hatsue, san piedro, japanese people, white people, novel snow falling, san piedro island, world war, ishmael love, novel snow, falling cedars, cedars david guterson, cedars david, world war ii, david guterson, snow falling cedars, piedro island,
Approximate Word count = 1297
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)