Ana Dolores Peregrino is a Texan of Mexican descent, a Tejana, who loses her ancestral family during a raid and is raised by a loving Anglo family in the small town of Santo Tomas,
during 1830 and 1850, years of struggle and war. She copes with cultural assimilation, loss of language, and unjust segregational laws. Strength in her spiritual guidance helps her retain her self-autonomy, serve her community, deal with loss, and achieve contentment and love in her life.