The story begins in 1924 in Aguascalientes, Mexico, but quickly skips forward to 1930 and covers events from autumn 1930 to autumn 1931. Most of the action takes place in a migrant worker camp in Arvin, California. The story is told using limited third-person narration from the perspective of 13-year-old Esperanza Ortega. Esperanza begins life as the pampered only child of a wealthy Mexican landowner, but her world is shattered on her 13th birthday when her father is killed by bandits. She is separated from her grandmother and forced to flee to America with her mother to escape the clutches of greedy relatives. The author uses Esperanza’s transformation from a princess to a peasant to explore the themes about the true meaning of wealth, the importance of family, and how to embrace new beginnings in life.