A Midwife's Song: Oh, Freedom!

The novel as a whole follows the fortunes of Escol?tica and Isabel Vda De Miranda, two clairvoyant sisters from Logro?, Spain, and their descendants. The younger sister, Escol?tica, emigrates from Spain to Cuba with her uncle, Andres Escoraz, in 1899 in search of the paradise of new beginnings. Her descendants eventually make their way from Santiago, Cuba to Havana to Miami. The older sister, Isabel, marries into a family from Vera de Bidasoa, Spain and moves to the mountains and later fights against the Fascists. Her grandchildren immigrate to the United States in 1939 and also eventually settle in Miami. Neither branch of the family knows of the other.Part One tells three stories. The first story focuses on the journey of two teachers searching for paradise: Travis Lauterbach, who is love with Tommie Rodriguez, the great-great-granddaughter of Andres Escoraz; and an ex-hippie named Mick, who acts as a mentor to Travis. The second story is about Xavier and Soledad Mendoza (the grandchildren of Isabel), what their lives were like in Spain, how they came to the United States, and how they own a brothel/caf?called The Patagonian Caf?in Little Havana, Miami, and how they come to know the two teachers from the first story. This story is told by Xavier as he nears the end of his life. The third story is about a miscreant named Malachi, who works for Bull and Horse Vel?quez, who own a pornography film company. Malachi is dating a beautiful woman named Gisela, who works at The Patagonian Caf? He then runs afoul of Bull and Horse (who are determined to kill Malachi), and so involves everyone he knows in trying to escape (including Xavier and Soledad and the two teachers). Part One ends with a scene presented as a scene from a movie script titled: THE HAIL OF BULLETS SCENE AT LA MAMACITA?.