This novel depicts a little-known aspect of the tragedy of lives affected by trying to escape Cuba for freedom in the USA. Galan’s mother and special-needs sister are left behind by an unscrupulous raft captain who can’t be bothered with answering Galan’s mother’s demands to turn the raft around, and kicks her and Galan’s sister into the ocean, leaving Galan to wonder if they even survived the swim to shore. Fast forward to the present (although the events of 1991 are never far away for Galan), and stress is still evident in many ways in his new-found life, especially after he finds out what is planned for his sister, Gabriella, who was left behind.