In this story of magical realism, Maria knows her best friend, Hannah, is sick, knows something is terribly wrong, but only takes action after a mysterious old woman gives her some strange, very pretty beads. When Hannah becomes deathly ill and her parents refuse medical treatment, Maria desperately tries to save her friend. Adults won't intercede, so she turns to the magic beads, but they can't do it alone. Maria must find and use her own inner strength, passed down to her through her ancestral Huichol culture . . . or watch Hannah die."