It stars Japanese actor Ken Matsudaira in the lead role, alongside Mako, Toshiro Mifune, Mariska Hargitay and Tamotsu Ishibashi, with a cameo appearance by Pat Morita.

Settling in rural California, they start a strawberry farm and slowly integrate themselves into the community, which includes Japanese-Americans of both lengthy and brief residence.

In 1965, before Japan has achieved economic miracle status and at the height of the Vietnam War, Hisa Ishii (Ken Matsudaira) emigrates to the Pomona Valley in search of the American Dream.

Arriving in America, Akira plans to attend a local high school to improve his English and then proceed to college, all while working on the farm with his brother to earn his keep.

Meanwhile, Hisa, who continues to develop his nascent strawberry farm, is visited by his friend Akiko (Mari Natsuki) from his hometown, accompanied by an Italian-American woman named Jill (Mariska Hargitay).

As love blossoms between Hisa and Jill, Akira meets and falls for an older married Japanese woman named Naoko (Junko Sakurada).

Editor Akira Suzuki had worked with director Kurahara on multiple prior productions, including the films I Am Waiting, Sunset, Sunrise, The Glacier Fox, Antarctica and Umi e, See You.

Additionally, co-producer Junichi Mimura had served as assistant director on The Glacier Fox, and screenwriter Nobuo Yamada had earlier written Safari 5000, Sunset, Sunrise and Two in the Amsterdam Rain.