In 1923, Alice, a Japanese mother, watches the home she loves fall to ruin during the horrific Great Japanese Earthquake. In the wake of the chaos that ensues, Alice flees to Hawaii to begin a new life. When her son, John, now a naval officer and spy, comes to her in Honolulu, he's barely recognizable--not for the uniform, but for the brutality that simmers below his surface. After the murder of her close friend, Alice comes to understand what John really is. On the heels of this revelation comes the attack on Pearl Harbor. As Alice is confined to an internment camp due to her heritage, young Eddy Richards volunteers to become a code breaker for HYPO. Following the mysterious death of her friend, Eddy suspects a naval officer by the name of John is responsible. Researching his past, Eddy discovers John's mother and tracks down Alice, whom she presumes to be as dangerous as her son. But as the two women come to know each other, they form an unlikely bond as they hunt A Most Unlikely Spy.