Children of the desert

Set in neighboring towns on either side of the Rio Grande, the narrative centers on Harboro and Sylvia, whose marriage and everyday choices—most notably walks between Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras—bring into relief local customs, class distinctions, and public scrutiny. A sequence of episodes moves among household scenes, civic gatherings, a dance, legal and political stirrings led by a people's advocate, and vivid neighborhood incidents, using close observation and understated humor to reveal how ritual, reputation, and small adjustments in behavior shape relationships and community life along the border.