Celeste Duncan's trip to Japan has a dual purpose: to fulfill a family obligation of returning some objects and to possibly learn her father's identity. Alone in San Jose with no known, living family, Celeste receives a phone call from a convalescent center that her "Aunt Mitch" has passed away and left her listed as her only relative. A box would be arriving shortly with Michiko Taniguichi's personal effects. Michiko had married Celeste's mother's uncle during the war. Celeste has not seen her in years.

After going through the box, Celeste decides to make the journey to Japan to search for Aunt Mitch's sister Hiromi, return the items and to hopefully learn who her father really is. Before her mother's untimely death when Celeste was only 10, she was only told that her father could be any number of men. Not a very comforting thought, now that Celeste is old enough to actually know what that means.

Celeste's time in Japan leads her to a friendship with a teacher helping her learn Japanese and also to a family who lets her stay with them when she loses her job, has little money and no place to go. With the help of these new friends, she travels across Japan in search of her destiny.

And what will that destiny be? Will she find this long-lost relative? Will this person lead her to the knowledge of her father? And through a set of unusual circumstances, will Celeste finally be able to realize her real ambition in life -- to be a singer like her mother?

LOVE IN TRANSLATION is witty and charming. Learning the Japanese language proves to be quite a challenge. Celeste finds that it is real easy to get words mixed up and say the wrong thing. However, in her search for her family, she learns that love needs no translation. A great read you're sure to enjoy.