Lucy Pereda

A realistic look at the plight of the Mariel Boat People, the so-called "undesirables" who were shipped off to America by Cuba's Fidel Castro in 1980. Ramon is among these people, and suffers the resentment of the longtime Cuban residents of Miami.

Machuchal is a rural healer that uses ancient methods and herbs as cures, obtaining the confidence of the community for many years. After an emergency in which a child almost dies, Machuchal is persuaded to attend nursing school.