The Characters, Filipino migrant workers in a plantation, are having fun with Magno Rubio's queer love state. He is in love with Clarabel, a gorgeous American woman whom he only seen in a picture and has never before met personally. He only sends her letters. He asks Claro, who was the one to show him Clarabel's picture, to write his love letters, because he was illiterate in English.
Conflict.
Claro overprices Magno for his letter writing services. The two also have altercations concerning Clarabel's unlikely requital of Magno's long distance love. And so Magno turns to his other friend Nick who, though was also was a harvester in the plantation, was educated and was adept in literature, especially poetry, to be the one to help him in his letters. In the course of this, his friend tries to make Magno ponder what is his love's worth. Magno unwaveringly shows how much he was in love. He is not reluctant in his costly letter sending. .
Rising action/Crisis.
Clarabel finally writes a letter back to Magno. She also claims that her mother is sick and that she needs money. Despite having only a meager, nay, unjust wage rate, he works doubly hard and piles up his debts just to sustain the costs of his long distance (one sided) love affair and to try to contribute something to Clarabel's needs. Clarabel claims in her letter that she would marry Magno after her situation is remedied. Magno brags this to his worker buddies. But Claro gets sick of Magno's unfounded boasting and proclaims that he has had sex with Clarabel. The enraged Magno takes a knife and threatens to kill him. His other friend calms Magno down and tries to open his eyes to his his predicament there in the states where they were they went allured by the promise of a good life but found nothing but a destitution and inequity which they can no longer escape from. This left the usual high hoped spirits of Magno into quiet despair. After months of not writing back to Clarabel, Clarabel then announces that she will come to Magno's place.
