Maria Josefina Montoya Romero is a young Mexican girl living in 1824 New Mexico with her extended family. She and her family (including her oldest sister, Ana who is married to Tomas and has two sons, and her two other sisters, headstrong Francisca and practical and sensible Clara) must adapt following the death of their mother before the books and the introduction of their mother's sister, Tía Dolores (who later marries Josefina's widowed father), to the family circle. Josefina dreams of becoming a healer like her grandmother and is taught this by her aunt, Magdalena, her father's sister. Josefina has a pet goat named Sombrita. Themes include adjustment to loss, the day-to-day life of the Mexican people, and the cultural and societal changes and influences that occurred once Mexico opened trade routes in collaboration with the US. Josefina's family speaks Spanish and there are Spanish words and phrases in her books that are defined in the glossary.