She's a California girl. He's a pueblo boy. Should it matter that she is light and he is dark? Erin Fraser's older brother, Scott, thinks it matters— a lot. The Frasers are visiting the pueblo and Scott has made it clear that a relationship between Erin and Paolo is unacceptable. Paolo agrees. He has an obligation to fulfill and it doesn't include an outsider: for the pueblo to survive the young men must marry girls from the village.That's why Paolo hasn't contacted her in the two years since her first visit. But seeing her again is weakening his resolve. Erin still can't figure out what makes their differences so insurmountable. "I can appreciate your culture," she insists. "Why can't you appreciate mine?" Paolo knows why, but can't figure out how to make her understand.Verbal explosions result each time their worlds collide. They argue rather than talk, each trying to make and win points. Erin knows it has nothing to do with color. It's about a way of life that he loves, whose rules don't apply to people not born in the village. But why is he making it bigger than what she knows they feel for each other? Can a place to live really be more important than love?