A story presented in English and Spanish in which a boy named Panchito worries that he will not get the gift he has been hoping for when his family has to move a few days before Christmas to find work.

Bajo la alambrada -- Soledad -- De dentro hacia afuera -- Un milagro en Tent City -- El ǹgel de oro -- El aguinaldo -- Muerte perdonada -- El costal de algodn̤ -- Cajas de carton̤ -- El juego de la patada -- Tener y retener -- Peregrinos inmv̤iles. Francisco Jimenez chronicles the experiences he had after his family left Mexico for California when he was just a child.

Because he can only speak Spanish, Francisco, son of a migrant worker, has trouble when he begins first grade, but his fascination with the caterpillar in the classroom helps him begin to fit in.