Gabriela is a very bright Indio peasant living in Guatemala. She is the top Spanish speaker at her village school. She is a content well adjusted child who is going to have her quinceanera. She has earned the name Tree Girl for her love of climbing trees. However, war is coming to Guatemala. The reasons are not clear to Gabriela something about communism. As the book progresses the massacres against the Indios become worse and more brutal. Can Gabriela survive in such a harsh environment? This book is based on a true story and does not present the US Foreign Policy in a good light.