Lara Yuja

Desperate to escape her traditional suburban life in upstate New York, a teen joins a foreign exchange program in Costa Rica in search of freedom. Instead, her world narrows under the rule of a strict host mother, until a forbidden romance with an undocumented Nicaraguan immigrant upends everything. As tensions around immigration simmer, their relationship puts both of them at risk. Caught between recklessness and self-discovery, she must decide who she wants to be — and where she belongs.

In the midst of the civil war of 1948 in Costa Rica, after the disappearance of her parents, a young girl finds shelter in the arms of a creature that lives close to her home.

13-year-old Laura feels adrift in her newly stitched-together family. Just as the forests and endless palm plantations begin to feel like home, she uncovers a lurking secret that threatens the women she holds close.