The novel opens with Arturo Rodriguez narrating in the first person. Arturo lives in a Mexican American household in Los Angeles, California, with his mother (“Mami”), father (“Papi”), younger sister Rosa, older brother Luis, and paternal grandmother (“Abuelita”). Arturo and his family have immigrated to the US within the past three years, led by Papi in his search for better work. Together, they live in a lower-income, primarily Spanish-speaking section of the city and grapple with the transition from Mexican to American culture. Arturo has the best grasp of English, but he frequently code-switches, interspersing Spanish phrases and terms with his English. He speaks a dialect his parents call pocho.

On the first day of school, Arturo joins Miss Pringle’s class. Miss Pringle, per Arturo’s description, is well-meaning but ignorant. When addressing the class, she immediately Americanizes Arturo’s name, introducing him as “Arthur” for the sake of convenience. Though Arturo takes his name from both his father and his grandfather, he leans into this new identity, hoping to blend in with his American classmates. Arturo makes friends with several other Mexican American students_—Raúl, Jaime, and Alicia—whose names have been similarly Anglicized to Ralph, James, and Alice, respectively.