Character introduction: The main character, a young woman, has just started graduate school in Madison, WI.
Complication: During her second semester, she her uncle contacts her. He lives in Morelia, Mexico. The uncle is estranged from the rest of the family and the young woman does not know why he wants her to come and visit. Reluctantly she accepts his invitation.
Climax: During Spring Break, she travels to Morelia. She is at once fascinated with the beauty of the city. Her encounter with her terminally ill uncle is brief and unsatisfactory. Shortly before he dies, he shares a secret with the young woman that forever changes how she sees her family and her heritage.
Main character: Charlotte Schmidtbauer is twenty-six years old and studies American history at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Her grand-parents immigrated from Germany after WWII. Charlotte was brought up to be proud of her German heritage but her understanding of German culture entails only the Holocaust and folkloristic clichés.
Other characters: Friedrich Wilhelm Busshoff, her grandfather's younger brother. He immigrated to Chile after WWI but eventually settled in Mexico. He is terminally ill and since his emigration from Germany estranged from the rest of his family.
Madison, Wisconsin is the "Oz" of America where happy people riding their bikes enjoy summer evenings with a beer on the terrace by Lake Mendota. Charlotte feels at home in Madison, especially as the city has a strong German heritage.
Morelia, Mexico is a vibrant, colorful city. Compared to Madison it is exotic. The central plaza and cathedral are UNESCO World Heritage Site. Besides all this beauty there is also darkness, as many buildings are decaying and people are significantly poorer than in the United States.
Charlotte arrives in Morelia. Her uncle has arranged for her to stay in a hotel in city center. Charlotte is fascinated by the vibrant city.
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