The story first takes place in Guadalajara in the 1920s. Many Mexicans were trying to get to the United States to make a better living for their families. Once Alfonso gets to the U.S. he has to change his name for a fake social security card and take any job available to feed and clothe himself. He gets into trouble along the way but always manages to find a way of escape. He meets his future wife at a dance and falls in love in Los Angeles. He continues to fight the disease of alcoholism, like his father. He vows never to be like him but keeps fighting his past. He tries cotton picking, the salmon canning industry, dishwasher, bus boy, cook, milkman, and finally finds his calling as an insurance agent.
