From the introduction: Border-crossers known as 'coyotaje' bring hundreds of migrants into the United States every day. It's a risky business, but a business nonetheless, and necessarily dull in its own way. These are ordinary folk, crossing the threshold for common reasons. However, one of these 'coyotes' is not what he appears to be. The people he brings across seem strange, even in the very Latin center of California's Santa Mira. Their Spanish is not quite right, they look at things too long, and their bodies seem to present a new and unfamiliar paradigm. In the mirror they make faces which have never meant anything to any human. Their families and friends are quiet, but watchful. The new arrivals bring an unidentifiable dread to the city.