In a voice compelling and insistent, Hector Lázaro reaches out to the world even as he and a dozen fellow travelers are trapped within a water tanker sealed to hide its human cargo during an illegal border crossing. Armed with only a cell phone, a weak signal, and one working phone number, Hector tries to make contact to find help. In the process, he tells about his life, the rich culture and deep decline of his native Oaxaca, the shadow of El Norte, and the world-altering message carried in his friend Cesar’s phone. But food and water are running low. Cesar is unconscious, and other passengers have already begun to die.

John Vaillant’s work has appeared in The New York, the Atlantic, National Geographic, and Outside, among other magazines. His two previous, award-winning books, The Tiger and The Golden Spruce, were international bestsellers. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.