Fifty three years after the end of World War II, Yasuo Saito lives in quiet retirement concealing his shameful past as a Japanese navy pilot. Margaret Roberts, a senior U.S. government official at the end of her pioneering career, confronts her mother's failing health while she juggles nagging ambition and her quest for happiness. Saito and Roberts each take refuge in Hawaii, where they help the FBI solve a mysterious shooting in Pearl Harbor. As that murder investigation unfolds, hidden stories are revealed that link Saito and Roberts to December 7, 1941, a day of infamy that pushed the world into war and would prove pivotal to both of them. Against the backdrop of a shocking crime in late 1998, "Clouds Over Mountains" moves between modern-day Hawaii, Japan, and Washington, D.C., weaving recollections of pre-war Japan with contemporary political intrigue. The novel examines themes of love and family, shame and redemption, truth and hope, and how historical events continue to shape people's lives six decades later.