Synopsis
While
running along the sea wall bordering Nipe Bay in the sugar mill town of
Preston, three Cuban children, Lina, Emilio, and Angela find a waterlogged
suitcase. They learn it is debris from a tragic plane crash—a failed
hijacking. A month later, Batista’s soldiers stop Lina and her parents
at gunpoint. By the end of the year, Lina’s homeland is leaderless and
ripe for revolution.
As
Castro’s reforms take hold, many families leave the country. Afraid
their friendship will be torn apart, the three playmates find solace in
making ritual vows to be friends forever.
Soon
Lina is sent to her grandparents in Tennessee. Her mother follows a
few months later. Her papi and Emilio’s father join Brigada 2506,
destined to history at the Bay of Pigs. Emilio and his little sister are
spirited away via Operation Pedro Pan. Angela’s parents, believing in El
Jefe’s vision, enroll her in the Association of Rebel Youth.
“We
made a promise to be friends forever,” Lina tells her mother in her most
emphatic voice. She is determined to reunite with her friends.
Guava
and Cheese is a heartfelt tale of three Cuban children whose vow of
friendship triumphs over Castro’s revolution.
