The author tells her story about growing up in the small village of Penasco, located in the northern high country of New Mexico. She writes about living among her father's family, all the Roybal clan, and the hardships families had to endure before better goods came from the east, and before improvements were made to schools, the railroad system and roads. Then people began to prosper while continuing to have pride in their culture and history. While growing up, she often wondered about her family name: Roybal. It didn't quite fit in with all the other Spanish surnames. Listening to her father's stories about where the family came from inspired Romero to do research on the Roybal family. Tracing her roots has been an adventure, and a very fulfilling one.