At the beginning of the memoir, Esmeralda is a 13-year-old girl who has just moved to Brooklyn from Puerto Rico. Esmeralda feels out of place, overwhelmed by the differences between her home and this new city, the language and cultural boundaries she encounters at school and with friends, and the dangers that her mother warns her about that will be lurking at every turn. Esmeralda is also in that awkward place in between being a little girl and a woman, and though her body begins maturing and she has to take on extra responsibility around the household, Mami still treats Esmeralda like one of the younger children, unable to do anything without permission.

Over time, Esmeralda slowly begins to adjust to life in New York, though she still longs for home and her friends and family still back in Puerto Rico, especially Papi. Esmeralda worries about becoming too Americanized, a fear heightened by Mami and other relatives gossiping about cousins who wear too much makeup and are too loose with boys. Esmeralda worries that she will let a man walk all over her and wants to fulfill Mami’s dream of getting married in a church. At first, Esmeralda is placed in remedial classes at school because she can’t speak English, so she teaches herself and proves to be such an excellent student that her teachers recommend her for the Performing Arts High School.