Antonio Juan Márez y Luna, now an adult, reflects on his memories of growing up in Guadalupe, New Mexico. Guadalupe is a rural outpost bordered by a grassy plain called the llano. Antonio’s father, Gabriel Márez, is a vaquero, a cowboy who once worked on the llano in Las Pasturas. Now he repairs sections of highway for a living and spends his free time drinking and reminiscing with friends from the old days. Antonio’s mother, María, hails from the farming Luna family in the town of El Puerto. She dislikes the barren terrain of the llano, and after Antonio’s birth, she convinced Gabriel to move the family from Las Pasturas to Guadalupe. Antonio has two sisters named Deborah and Theresa. His three older brothers, Eugene, Andrew, and León, are away fighting in WWII.

Antonio’s parents have conflicting visions about his future. His mother wants him to get an education and become a farmer or a priest in keeping with the Lunas’ traditions. Gabriel wants Antonio to follow the adventurous Márez bloodline and become a vaquero or move to California.

One day, María and Gabriel invite a woman named Ultima, “La Grande,” to stay at their home.