A couple from New York decides to visit Puerto Rico during the summer of 1938, an incredibly eventful summer for the island's politics. While they are on the boat on the way there, the couple notices the levels of destitution which almost all passengers arrive in, some White, others Latino or Black. When they arrive, their contacts are with family they refer to as the F's. The couple withstands the trials and tribulations of Puerto Rico, from the scarce work to the even scarcer food. While they're visiting, the Nationalist party is facing major conflict, especially on July 25, during the Ponce Massacre, where a Nationalist parade is attacked. The couple remains uninvolved in the political landscape and, for the most part, remains a silent observer. They focus on engaging with the locals and helping them when they can by giving them money. During this time, Puerto Ricans desperately need cash more than anything else because there is a constant food shortage, leaving them to make meals of rice and beans and little else. When the couple helps their neighbors, they often return the favor in whatever ways they can, by picking them a basket of lemons from nearby or trying to help them somehow. They quickly become popular with the local children, who linger around their homes hoping for gifts. Tensions continue rising in Puerto Rico when an assassination attempt is made on Governor Winship. An extensive investigation takes place to find any responsible parties, though the couple leaves before the trials. Back in New York, the woman is contacted by the FBI, who are investigating the F's for stealing government property and then fleeing the country. Eventually, they find them without her help. She sees soon after in the newspapers that one of the men who attempted the assassination, Pablo Escobar, has been sentenced to life in prison.