Nine-year-old Lillian Jingu wants to be like every other all-American girl, to wear her hair long rather than in the China doll bob her mother insists upon. She’s begged for fancy boots like the privileged debutants wear under their beaded gowns in the Battle of the Flowers Parade, or, at least, a glorious Stetson like her friend, Terralitta Maverick sports. But being the youngest girl of eight children, she must be content with hand-me-downs. She and her little brother Kimi have begged for a puppy, but her parents say the Tea Garden is no place for a mutt. Naturally, she is thrilled when she unearths a strange egg by the koi pond.

Tut Tut, the wise turtle living in the pond, explains it may be more trouble than she bargained for. But Lillian takes the egg home and keeps it warm, eagerly waiting for whatever is inside to hatch. When her little brother, Kimi, finds her with the egg, Lillian lets him in on her secret. Despite her protests to the contrary, Kimi is convinced the egg holds a puppy. Soon, the egg hatches, and a strange lizard-like creature emerges. The Jingu children name him Kokoro, and the baby dragon proves a delightful pet, but they fear that, should he be discovered, he’ll be hauled away and caged like an animal in the Brackenridge Zoo. Their dilemma is solved with the discovery of a crack behind the waterfall leading to Jaloloquay, a land forgotten by time. At last, they have found a safe haven for Kokoro!

But when their father suddenly passes away, the Jingu family is left to soldier on and manage the garden in the throes of the Great Depression. Then the war in Europe foments an anti-Asian backlash, and the once admired and respected Jingus are shunned by the formerly welcoming citizens of San Antonio. Worse yet, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, they are evicted from their beloved garden.

Years pass, and more humiliations follow.

Miyoshi, Lillian’s mother is dissatisfied with what their life has become; her once prosperous family is barely eking by. Eventually, she decides to move them all to a large Asian American community in Los Angeles, California. Her instincts prove spot on for they all thrive in this new environment. Miyoshi auditions for and is given bit character parts in films, eventually landing a small role in the award-winning blockbuster, The Teahouse of the August Moon, starring Marlon Brando.

In 1984, the Tea Garden is rededicated, the Jingus welcomed back for the ceremony. Lillian and Kimi, their dark hair now streaked with silver, take this opportunity to slip away and make the passage to Jaloloquay, where they are joyously reunited with Kokoro. He wheedles for them to take him and some friends back with them through the crack in the wall to visit San Antonio. At first, Lillian dismisses this request as preposterous, but then she realizes that all of San Antonio will be celebrating; there will be parades and fireworks and many people dressed in costume. This might be the only opportunity for her strange acquaintances to make the crossing and blend in with a crowd.

It is a thrilling homecoming, and even more so for sharing the event with Jaloloquay friends. Lillian and her remaining family members ride on a float through town, and Lillian realizes one of her childhood dreams: lifting the hem of her gown and showing off her cowgirl boots to the spectators lining the streets. After this grand adventure, she and Kimi leave Kokoro with the hope that someday—perhaps in the not-too-distant future—he may, once again, make the Japanese Tea Garden his forever home.