Set in North America and Japan, Exile and the Heart weaves beautiful stories of women of the diaspora negotiating love, identity, and friendship against a moving landscape of memory, history and home. Gen Tanaka and Kathy Nakashima slowly piece together the fragments of their lives, naming their exiles, tracking their journeys, making the connections of who they are, and what that means. In a world of racism and homophobia, Kobayashi's characters carve a cautious home of tenderness and resilience. Exile and the Heart is a passionate and musical tale sparkling with clarity and freshness.