The summer of 1846 peaceful life in the Rio Grande Valley is disturbed by the arrival of the U.S. Army. Troops under General Zachary Taylor are marching toward the Mexican town of Matamoros, on the south shore of the Rio Grande. In Matamoros, General Mariano Arista is getting ready to face Taylor's army. The Mexican - American war is about to start.In a tale of rivalry, intrigue and passion, some strive for supremacy, some for honor, and some for their most basic human dignity. Is it that one man shall shape the destiny of his people? Or is it that his fable shall resonate through time, to touch their future kin, in the story of Juan Nepomuceno Cortina Goseascochea, the Saga of Cheno Cortinas.