When sixteen-year-old Martha arrives in Laredo, Texas to meet the grandmother she has never met, she is shocked to learn that she has a large, extended Mexican family, and that her grandmother doesn’t speak English. Of all the many moves Marth’a mother has made, from Boston, to Atlanta, to Memphis, this move to Laredo was the biggest shock of all.

Laredo, Texas, was like no other place Maria had seen. Signs on businesses were in Spanish and houses were colorfully painted. It was hot, dry, and the lawns were brown. It didn’t seem possible that her mother, who made every effort to look as white as possible, could have grown up here. To make things worse, it turned out that the family was not on a vacation, as her mom had said. Her mom abandoned her there, didn’t say where she was going, but just left. As shocking as this could have been, deep inside Maria had been expecting it. 

Suddenly Martha must deal with a way of life that is completely foreign. Her grandmother didn’t speak English, so communication is difficult, and she was not the typical, sweet grandma who dotes on her grandchildren. Even weirder, it turns out that her grandmother is revered as a healer, or curandera.

At her new school, Martha can’t be anonymous like before because everyone knows she’s Doña González’s granddaughter. To make matters worse, there is a girl who has it out for her and makes things miserable. As Martha struggles to adjust to her new life, she can’t help but wonder why her mother left Laredo. And why does this girl hate her so much? No one is willing to discuss it, so she’ll have to unravel the secret herself.