Tita celebrates her Hispanic Heritage and religious traditions in a small New Mexico town with a family whose joyful dynamic begins to change when her brothers begin to disappear to various branches of the service and her sister becomes a Rosy the Riveter. Tita and her eldest sister are uprooted, but they eagerly welcome their roles of empowerment as do the women around them. Even though the vibrant color of Tita's culture fades while her community dwindles, a humorous journey takes place through life's hardships. When what she was once enveloped in begins to unravel and she experiences young loss, Tita's unwavering faith - falters, and she starts to question what she is being taught at Catholic school. As Tita stumbles through the human experience, she finds determination of spirit in a story that ultimately ends in triumph.