Why would anyone leave everything she knows, abandon those she loves, in fact, flee from her very life, choosing instead to make a treacherous journey for the slim chance of finding something better?

The reader serves as constant companion to Cece as she casts herself into the maze of peril and possibility that is the world of the immigrant. Throughout her journey she encounters a variety of people whose actions and values help her to forge an appreciation for the American character. Some offer solace and comfort, others offer pain and betrayal. She takes all challenges as they arise.

Every day, all over the entire planet, millions of people are doing just this-leaving everything they know to cast themselves into the unforgiving arms of the unknown-to endure confusion, humiliation, intimidation and even violence as they land in a place they neither know nor understand.