Sisters Rafaella and Violeta are natives of a very dangerous city in Mexico and were able to escape to America. They have been in the country for years, living the dream, made a home for themselves together. They live together and work together at a laundromat. They love their job, but more than anything they love their freedom and being able to send money back home. During their shift at the laundromat ICE agents come in and detain all of the workers. Violeta, as the big sister, tries to warn Rafaella to run but she doesn’t, at first she hides, then freezes up and allows them to take her as well. Once in custody they take them to a detention center. They are terrified that they are going to be deported but something worse happens, they are separated. Rafaella finds herself stuck in a small cell with a large number of people and for the first time in her life she finds her voice, she has to now. Violeta is deported back to Mexico and Rafaella stays in the detention center. Now the sisters communicate through letters and because they love each other they lie saying that everything is great in Mexico and that Rafaella is the manager at the laundromat- all lies. As people we lie to the ones that we love the most, they don’t want the other to worry. But also, within that special relationship and bond is the ability, even through the words of a letter, to hear their loved one’s pain. As the story ends the sisters remember the good times and finally come clean about the present. Violeta’s illness that she contracted while at the detention center and Rafaella’s life moving from detention center to detention center. Even through this they find the words to support each other, love each other, and continue writing their life letters.
