It's 1962, and Dale Parker has been on his own for two years, ever since his small-town family disowned him on the suspicion of homosexuality. He works as a waiter in a Southern California coastal restaurant, but his life is going nowhere fast: he has no real education and has never had a real relationship. So when he finds himself falling in love with Rey Durán, one of his customers, he knows he's in over his head.

Rey is nearly twice Dale's age and a descendant of one of the original Spanish land grant families in California. He's had plenty of disappointments in love, and that's what he's come to expect. He loves Dale, but Dale is a young, poor, uneducated Anglo—how can their differences be anything but insurmountable?

Determined to overcome the obstacles and prove himself to Rey, Dale sets out to finish his education and settle down. He wins over Rey's family, starts learning Spanish, and adopts a culture vastly different from his own. But as Dale matures, Rey becomes less sure of his own commitment—which could lead to the heartbreak he's been expecting all along.