The book grew out of the repression Uruguay suffered under dictatorial rule in the 1970s, during Galeano's 11-year exile from the country. It chronicles two decades of struggle and perseverance in Latin America, with the 1976 Argentine coup d'état as its focal point. Galeano reveals episodes of his early life such as his surviving malaria, his loss of faith in God, the threats of military coups, dictators and censorship, as well as his experiences living amongst Indians, guerrillas, presidents and prostitutes. He defends his compatriots as well as Brazilian street children, the embattled indigenous Mexicans in Chiapas, and the continent's millions of abandoned children.