[1] A wounded Korean War veteran, Jim Sterling, returns to his California home with his Japanese wife.

The couple had met and fallen in love in a Japanese hospital where Tae Shimizu was working as a nurse.

Back in America, the couple face racism and bigotry from their neighbors and family, particularly their sister-in-law, Fran.

The widespread publicity surrounding the film's launch made Japanese wives increasingly visible in the United States.

Along with The Teahouse of the August Moon and the more successful film Sayonara, Japanese War Bride was argued by some scholars to have increased racial tolerance in the United States by openly discussing interracial marriages.