Hector moved away from what remained of the blazing house toward the orchard and waited on one knee until the soldiers spotted him. Then he stood, defiantly waved the blood-stained machete at them, and quickly raced through the rows of fruit trees that curved up the hill and away from the woods that concealed Leticia and the boys.

So begins the journey of Hector Rabinal, a journey that takes him far from the threat of the brownshirted soldiers of his Guatemalan home to Texas, where he experiences the best and the worst of life among the Gringos. But when he learns that Leticia, his wife, is missing, he is drawn back to Guatemala. As he searches for Leticia, Hector brings hope and belief to his village, now largely destroyed by the brownshirts - his house is rebuilt, crops are planted, people laugh and talk once more.

But then the brownshirts come again. Donley Watt's first novel is a spare and strong story of what it means to remain proud and honorable in the midst of oppression and hopelessness. Tragic in events, The Journey of Hector Rabinal affirms the strength of the human spirit.