Lincoln is happy to be going to Japan as a martial arts exchange student. So is Tony, his barrio brother from San Francisco. They're excited about living in a dojo, or school for martial arts, and practicing the art of kempo. When Lincoln arrives in Japan, he is surprised to find that the dojo is a vacant lot. He will be living on a small farm with the Ono family, whose mother reminds him of his own. The father likes to play practical jokes, and the son, Mitsuo, likes baseball. This strange country holds many surprises for Lincoln as he progresses through kempo and grows to love the Onos as his Japanese family. The expert narration by Robert Ramirez gives authenticity to this young Mexican-American boy's coming of age story. Listeners will enjoy being there when Lincoln realizes that friendship transcends culture and nationality.