follows the life of Nadejda Marques through three decades of profound change. In so doing, the book takes the reader on a journey that is extremely personal, moving and political. The storyline weaves through a Latin America of unbounded democratic promise and equally profound disappointment. In seeking to help her daughter, Mara, to understand her identity and history, Nadejda comes to appreciate fully her own. That identity is one marked by the violence and unrest of Latin America over the past several decades, but also by strength, perseverance, motherhood and love.