San Piedro, a small island in the Pacific Northwest, is home to salmon fishermen and strawberry farmers. It is also home to many Japanese-Americans. Snow Falling on Cedars opens in Judge Lew Fielding's courtroom as the trial of one of these Japanese-Americans, Kabuo Miyamoto, who is on trial for killing fellow fisherman Carl Heine, Jr., commences.
The story line of Kabuo's trial is the only one in Snow Falling on Cedars that is told in chronological order. Early testimony by the sheriff and his deputy provides the facts in the case: They were called to investigate the drifting of the Susan Marie, Carl's boat, and they found his body in his own fishing nets. Although the sheriff announced that Carl's death was an accident, everything didn't quite add up, so he got a warrant to search Kabuo's boat, the Islander, for the murder weapon. Finding blood on the butt end of Kabuo's fishing gaff, the sheriff arrested him.
As the trial progresses, the facts of Kabuo's case are revealed, as is the truth about what happened that night. Throughout the three-day trial, stories and history are told and retold from shifting perspectives and points of view; information is leaked slowly and deliberately, and two separate story lines develop in the form of memory and testimony.
The first major story line is the interracial love story. Kabuo's wife, Hatsue, shares a past with the island's only reporter, Ishmael Chambers. Their connection is established in the first chapter, but the extent of their involvement is revealed gradually. They grew up together, playing on the beach, looking for crabs, and shared a first kiss. Years later they kissed again, and a secret, teenage love affair blossomed. They didn't tell their families or their friends. At school they acted like strangers. Because of their cultural differences, they kept their interracial relationship hidden. During their senior year, Ishmael was certain he was falling more and more in love with Hatsue, while she was becoming more and more confused about her sense of responsibility to herself and her family. Before they could work through their feelings for one another, they were separated.
