As Juan Sintierra grows up amid poverty in Sinaloa, Mexico, he dreams of one day traveling to America to visit his imaginary friend, Barack. Influenced by his cousin, Miguel Meromero, Juan carries out horrific crimes that lead him to be pursued by everyone including the police and powerful capos from the drug cartels.
Determined to report the truth about forty-three students killed in Iguala to Barack with hopes he can fix everything, Juan and Miguel decide to escape their enemies and flee to the United States. Although they are both determined to survive, they first must endure great tragedies along the way on both sides of the border. As Juan's journey leads him to uncover dark truths about gringo-land that lead to murder and a series of life-shattering decisions, he discovers a new side of himself as he learns to embrace his identity and find hope among the ashes.
In this compelling novel, two Mexican kids escape the dark and violent world of the drug cartels and flee to the United States where they must face the truth, choices, and the reality about themselves.