Fernanda is a middle-aged woman of Mexican and Native descent. She grew up in a trailer park. Her parents worked as janitors at the Paradise Best Western. Her husband, Mike, attended the same schools as her, yet he was from a different world. His father, Wesley, was a successful lawyer in town with fixed, racist beliefs. He was stern and imposing. As adults, Fernanda and Mike reconnect; he reveals his crush on her. They marry and have a baby, Jessie. Wesley looks down on their union as he resents his son's choice to marry beneath his stature, but his wife, Laura, is kind to the couple. However, Laura soon died of cancer, and her son passed away the following year after a heart attack. Fernanda and Jessie then go live with Wesley in his mansion. Back to the present day. Jessie is six. A forest fire rages through their town, its flames gaining on the family, nearly taking down their house. Wesley, at first, is reluctant to leave his home. Still, the protagonist convinces him to drive away with her and protect his family. They find themselves stuck in a traffic jam, forced to watch their town burn. The story ends with the family driving away from the flames; their future is as unclear as the thick sky ahead.