Set in the turbulent period of Guam history, between the Spanish-American War and World War II, the lives and loves of three Chamorro women are told in vivid detail. A navy seaman leaves young Amanda de Leon broken hearted. For Sylvia de Leon Camacho, happiness ends too soon. Life teaches the level-headed Vivian Camacho that falling for an American serviceman is futile, like reaching for the moon. Cultural and racial prejudices magnify the distance. Trying to build a life with one is as impossible as building a mansion on the moon. Then a navy civil engineer comes into Vivian’s life.