Ladydi grows up in the Mexican mountains, in a village without men, as they are either searching for work across the border or long dead. It is a barren and harsh world where desperate mothers dress their daughters as boys or hide them in holes in the ground as soon as the black SUVs of drug dealers appear on the horizon. But Ladydi dreams of a real future, of friendship, love, and prosperity. A job as a maid in Acapulco promises salvation, but then her cousin involves her in a drug deal. Suddenly, she finds herself holding a package of heroin, and a ruthless struggle for survival begins. Prayers for the Missing evokes the unbreakable power of hope in a terrible world. In bold, shocking, and moving images, Jennifer Clement tells the story of an extraordinary young heroine.