Sara, a Canadian woman, embarks on a long trek by bus, boat and on foot through Mexico and Central America to save her eleven-year-old daughter, while a Central American Indigenous woman leads a passionate movement to bring peace to her war-torn country. Sara follows and comes to believe in the wisdom of Maria Luz, the campesina, as the shadow of death descends on them both, threatening to destroy all that they have set out to accomplish.
What will Hildie do with the anger that is bottled up inside of her? She encounters the police again when she tries to defend one of her East-side friends from Steve, a pimp she knows is dangerous, the man she believes is the real murderer of their friend in the squatter's house. Steve promises to make her regret her interference, and throughout the story she knows he’s watching her.