Despair

Like so many young people, Nola Santiago longs for a life different from the one she has in the small Mexican village of Boquillas del Carmen. Her childhood is stolen by the loss of her father and the unsavory stranger who comes to take his place. Nola is soon forced by tragedy to hastily escape from her hometown and begin her journey to the new life she envisions in the United States. Along the way, Nola is tested by new dangers, loss, and death, which threaten to fill her with despair and hopelessness. She must try to offset her negative feelings with the comfort and new resolve she finds in friendships, love, and memories of happier times if she is to arrive at a place of safety and achieve the success she desires.

Nola's journey continues in DENIAL.