Ramón "Tianguis" Perez, an undocumented worker from a small town in Oaxaca, depicts his life over a period of several years in the United States in the mid-1980s, ending with his return to Mexico after the passage of the Simpson-Rodino immigration law.

When he tells of crossing the border under the watchful eye of the guides who take illegals into the U.S., the book resembles a Jim Thompson thriller--a nicely observed narrative recounted in a flat, amoral tone, casually littered with atmospheric detail from the seamy underside.