In a conscious effort to heal from harm inflicted by rape, then an abortion, and her mother's lies about her closest relations, Shelly Dalton Smith travels to war-torn El Salvador. Unwittingly used by someone she trusts to implement a mission too dangerous for anyone to complete, she captures shots of her host family, and listens to their secrets and lies, which reveal her mother's deception is not so different from that of others, including her own. Witnessing the death of an American journalist, and listening to harrowing accounts of refugees who watched the massacre of their families, tears Shelly apart. So she turns to an American fighting with the guerrillas. He teaches her a passion for living she has never known. When he dies in combat, Shelly can no longer bear the pain, and wonders whether it is possible to accomplish her mission. Secrets and Lies in El Salvador exposes death and destruction at every turn, but also validates the power of love, and embodies the gift of hope.