Elias Sandoval comes to the United States hoping to storm the arts scene as a sculptor, only to be handed a dishcloth and a tray for clearing dishes. His quest leads the reader through a series of misadventures: from the lines of U.S. immigration to the kitchen sinks of restaurants and the bellboy-bound corridors of hotels in New York City. In Central America, he has left Helena behind, who through anxious---and hilarious---phone exchanges exerts constant pressure on her far-off boyfriend to send for her, in the hopes that she can fulfill her mother's lifelong dream of hobnobbing with ex-dictator's wives in Miami.