In a series of poignant vignettes, Ricky Coronado takes us on his search for identity, a search made more difficult by the specter of his father's suicide and the pressures placed upon him by his strong-willed mother. Quiet, although mischievous, the young boy reports on the antics of his close-knit and often eccentric family. In his journey of self-discovery that harkens to the pioneer work of Oscar Zeta Acosta's Brown Buffalo adventures, Ricky comes to the realization that generations of hyphenated Americans have reached: the painful but rewarding creation of a new self that combines elements of both ethnic realities.