Orphaned and alone, young Juan Caraveo flees from his cruel master in the lowlands of central Mexico to seek his missing father in the fabled mountains of the west. Fear and necessity drive him into the service of thieves and adventurers, wise men and holy men – all characters who emerge, bigger than life, from the rugged and varied Mexican landscape to guide or confound his quest. A mythic tale, set in the early years of the twentieth century, Juan Caraveo recounts the often outrageous and always gripping adventures of a peasant youth who, through his wits and determination and the influence of his many masters, reaches a fearless and honest manhood despite the origins of his humble origins.