Weedflower

Sumiko and her family are taken to Poston by train. As the train leaves the station, people throw rocks at it. The trip is long and hot, and the passengers are instructed to keep the windows and shades closed. When they reach the station in Parker, Arizona and disembark, people stare, making Sumiko feel like she has done something wrong. The heat zaps her energy and makes her mind foggy. The evacuees board a bus, and a dust storm hits, forcing the bus to stop. After the storm passes, the bus is stuck, so everyone must file off the bus, and the men work to free it. As Sumiko takes in the hot, brown surroundings, nothing feels real. 

As the bus continues its route, Sumiko is surprised to see some signs of farming in the desert: a lush green bean field and tractors digging irrigation ditches. The bus driver explains that Poston was divided into three camps that can collectively hold 17,000 people. Sumiko and her family are taken to Camp Three. Only desert surrounds it. Dust covers everything and is inescapable. Sumiko tries to calm Tak-Tak, who cries and coughs.