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Robert Childan runs an antique shop in San Francisco called American Artistic Handicrafts, which deals in American memorabilia from pre-WWII America. He is a white man and therefore a part of the subjugated class in the new world where Japan and Germany have won the war and now control America. Childan’s preoccupation with his lower racial status prevents him from seeing a key role he plays in society: As a store owner who deals in art objects, he steers the course of cultural trends by determining what is sold in the store. 

When Ed McCarthy tries to sell him his and Frank Frink’s new jewelry, however, Childan doesn’t see the beauty in the objects because he can only see them in terms of their market value. The pieces won’t appeal to his clients’ tastes as the Japanese only prefer antiques, nothing contemporary. Yet Paul Kasouras, one of Childan’s supporters who sees value in Childan’s store, determines the jewelry to have not only beauty but mystical power. He presents Childan with a choice: Mass-produce the items for profit, or introduce the world to this new form of beauty in a more holistic way. When Childan makes the latter choice, he is not only establishing his authority in himself but also establishing a new American identity within the structure of the Japanese-controlled Pacific coast. 

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