Francisco and his mom, dad, and older brother, Roberto, illegally cross the boarder into California in search for a better life.
The Jimenez family expands
The family goes to work at different farms hoping to make enough money to survive and live a good life.
The family continues to work:Francisco does not like moving from place to place
Francisco goes to school for the first time and likes it. He begins to make friends and even receives an award for drawing.
Bad luck: the family gets caught by the U.S. Border Patrol
Torito, one of Francisco's little brothers, gets really sick and almost dies. He survives and the family continues to move from farm to farm while having more kids.
The family continues to work at different farms, barely managing to survive. Francisco doesn't like moving from farm to farm because he has to leave his friends and teachers behind each time he moves.
After a stroke of bad luck the family moves to Santa Maria where they begin to settle in. Soon Roberto finds a stable job and Francisco thinks that they will finally be able to stay in one place. Unfortunately, Francisco and Roberto are caught by the United States Border Patrol.