Days of Infamy is a re-imagining of the Pacific War. The major difference being that the Empire of Japan not only attacks Pearl Harbor, but follows it up with the landing and occupation of Hawaii. The logic of how the battle could have developed in Oahu, including the destruction of Halsey's fleet, is presented in detail. As is usual in Turtledove novels the action occurs from several points of view. Besides historical figures these include a corporal in the Japanese Army, a surfer (who invents the sailboard so he can fish once Honolulu is occupied), Nisei children caught between the warring cultures, prisoners of war, and others. The way that control of the islands allows Japan to dominate much of the southern Pacific Ocean is explored, and the capure of a modern (for the time) radar system in noted. There is also a reverse Battle of Midway where an invading American force is defeated. Eventually, as was common in their other occupied territories, the Japanese create a puppet government, ruling through a member of the Hawaiian Royal Family who lives in the Iolani Palace

The human price of war, regardless of nationality, is the relentless focus of this chilling sequel to Turtledove's alternative history Days of Infamy (2004), in which the Japanese conquer Hawaii after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Times are hard for Americans under the occupation. Scarce food and resources result in privation and a thriving black market. Japanese soldiers work POWs to death with heavy labor on insufficient rations. Women are forced into prostitution as comfort women. But the U.S. armed forces have a few tricks up their sleeve, notably a new kind of aircraft that can hold its own against the Zero. Both the Japanese and American militaries scheme, plan and train, while surfer bums, POWs and fishermen just try to get by. A plethora of characters, each with his or her own point of view, provide experiences in miniature that combine to paint a broad canvas of the titanic struggle, if at the cost of a fragmented narrative