A quirky, captivating novel, shading the bright Mexican holiday sunshine with the ever present duende, the shadow of death, that is an inextricable part of the human condition. Arlene and Sheila,two nineteen year old Saskatchewan friends, are having a wonderful time in Mexico, hitchhiking or riding the bus, seeing the sites, playing tourist, and playing with the boys. The weeks of sun and sand, tequila and tanned companions are only slightly marred by a close encounter with several drunk and violent bandits, and a brief time when Arlene believes Sheila is dead. Thirty-five years later, an older and wiser Arlene returns to some of those Mexican haunts, to try and heal from the recent death of Sheila, and to reflect on the possible nuances of those events that slide so easily by in her sunny youth.