Lupita Torres’s story begins with her trying to find her mother at the Ensenada, Mexico, hotel where Carmela is a chambermaid, only to discover that Captain Ortega, her father’s boss, has summoned her mom to the Torres home. Recognizing something must be amiss, Lupita hurries home. Along the way she encounters her older brother, Salvador, and tells him he must come with her. The two are concerned that the budding—but unapproved—romance between Salvador and Ortega’s daughter Dorotea has caused their father to lose his job.

Arriving home, Lupita and Salvador find Carmela sobbing with grief. A neighbor woman explains that their father, Hernando, has been swept off Ortega’s fishing boat and is lost at sea. The family is overwhelmed by the shock and injustice of his death. Lupita immediately begins to question how the family will provide for itself since both parents had to work to have food and shelter for the two adults and six children. Neither Lupita nor Salvador have been able to acquire substantial employment. Lupita’s concern is ironic in that she gained her commonly used nickname, Lupita Mañana, by continually expressing optimism that the coming day would be better than the previous day.